Mildred Siabi-Mensah,
GNA Special Correspondent in Ningxia Hui, China
Ningxia Hui (China), Sept. 18, GNA – The Yuanshi Winery in Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region presents an impressive example of ecological reclamation and a sweet model to Ghana’s unattended to illegal mining pits menace.
It also promotes tourism development and local economic empowerment with a stark contrast to the situation of illegal mining in Ghana.
Located at the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain, Yuanshi Winery was established on land that was once an abandoned sand mining quarry.
Beginning in 2008, with the support of local government, the winery undertook extensive ecological restoration, transforming about 400 hectares of barren, mined land into lush vineyards, and green spaces
Ms. Audrey Wang, Manager of Marketing at the Yuanshi Winery said efforts at reclamation of the quarry included planting windbreak forests, fruit trees, and millions of vines, creating a thriving microclimate and improving the living environment significantly.
“This ecological revival coincided with the development of a vibrant wine tourism industry at Yuanshi. The Winery now offers tours, wine tasting, cultural experiences, and has attracted over 200,000 visitors recently.”
Journalists from the Caribbeans and Africa undertook a field visit of the facility as part of a 14-day training for partners under the “Belt and Roads” initiative forged on cooperation and development by the people of China.
Ms. Wang said plans were underway to expand tourism services, including accommodation and catering, aiming to lengthen visitors’ stays in the vineyard and enhance tourism’s economic impact.
The Winery also promoted Chinese traditional aesthetics combined with modern sustainable practices, emphasizing harmony with nature.
Economically, the Yuanshi Winery has had a transformative impact on the local community by creating jobs and raising incomes with some 200 permanent workers and over 2,000 seasonal workers, many of whom were local villagers.
The wine industry in the Ningxia Region supported 130,000 jobs with a significant portion of residents’ incomes derived from this sector.
In sharp contrast, Ghana is faced with a serious challenge with illegal mining operations known as galamsey, which are causing social and environmental havoc.
In Ghana, such mining sites, particularly those associated with illegal mining, continue to swallow the lives of innocent Ghanaians, mostly innocent children, as efforts are made to reclaim degraded and lost sites.
The illegal mining crisis, which had escalated to a national emergency, is practised in 12 out of the 14 districts of the Western Region alone, defining the magnitude of such national crime, according to the Western Regional Minister, Mr. Joseph Nelson.
Thus, Yuanshi Winery’s model showed how industrial transformation from degraded mining land to sustainable agriculture and tourism could promote ecological healing, economic opportunity, and social development.
Ghana’s illegal mining pit traps underlines the urgent need for effective regulation, safety enforcement, and economic alternatives to illegal mining to protect communities and the environment.
GNA
Edited by Justina Paaga/Benjamin Mensah