John Dumelo, Deputy Minister-designate for Food and Agriculture, voiced growing concern over the rising trend of cocoa farmers abandoning their farms to small-scale illegal miners in exchange for significant financial rewards.

During his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on February 25, Dumelo attributed this shift to the stagnant prices of cocoa, which have left many farmers struggling to sustain their livelihoods. He emphasized that inadequate pricing is driving farmers to consider selling their valuable land to galamsey (illegal mining) operators as a more viable financial alternative.

“Providing cocoa farmers with fair, competitive prices will discourage them from selling their farms,” Dumelo said. He stressed that the solution lies in offering farmers a financial incentive to preserve their lands, rather than turning to mining for survival.

In addition to pricing reforms, Dumelo called for stronger regulations in the mining sector to mitigate its negative impact on agriculture. “It is vital to better structure the mining industry to prevent it from encroaching on cocoa farmlands,” he added. However, he pointed to the pricing issue as the primary challenge facing the cocoa industry.

Source:TheDotNews