Some of the galamseyers destroying cocoa farmland for gold
COCOA FARMERS at Goaso in the Asunafo North Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region are threatening to burn down their cocoa farms if the central government and district authorities failed to act quickly to stop galamsey operators who have recently started taking over portions of their farmland at Manukrom and Atoom.
At a press conference yesterday at Goaso, the over 7,000 cocoa farmers expressed worry over galamsey operators for taking over three of their cocoa growing communities and are clandestinely destroying their farms in the area. The affected communities, they said are Manukrom, Atoom and Tipokrom.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE on phone, the manager of Asunafo North Municipal Co-operative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited, Patrick Owusu, said several attempts to arrest the galamseyers proved futile because they only operate in the night. According to him, the union has taken it upon itself to protect the farmlands hence calls on municipal and national authorities to help them with security to curb the menace which is gradually gaining grounds in the district. He warned that failure by government to heed their call will mean they will have no option than to burn down their cocoa farms.
He bemoaned the lackadaisical manner in which stakeholders in the cocoa sector are handling the galamsey threat on cocoa farmers underscoring the importance of cocoa in the Ghanaian economy.
He said, the Goasohene, Nana Bosompra has assured them of liaising with security agencies in the district to flush out the ‘galamseyers’ from the communities, saying that is the only hope his members are waiting for and if that too fails they will advise themselves. He laments the situation is affecting the water bodies also in the district.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Goaso
