Director of Public Affairs at Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Fiifi Boafo, has noted that his outfit has begun a sensitization exercise for farmers to desist from giving out their farmlands for the operation of illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He explained that most farmers, out of ignorance, give out their farmlands in exchange for money amidst the challenges fraught in the cocoa sector.
The act, he said, threatens the cultivation and production of cocoa in the country.
Fiifi Boafo stated that his outfit was ready to represent cocoa farmers in court about any legal matters.
He, therefore, called on cocoa farmers to seek support from COCOBOD when faced with the challenge.
Speaking on Citi TV Point of View programme, the Director of Public Affairs at COCOBOD said, “COCOBOD is sponsoring a law to take into consideration what actually goes into the farm and the true value of it so that anyone moving in to take a cocoa farm and operating mining illegally there will have to pay the true value of the farm and this will serve as a disincentive.”
“The farmers do not want to give out these farms but with their level of exposure to go to court and resources not available to them, they are handicapped. That is why they give in. Our sensitization is ongoing, and I think that it has helped with that realization that, this is not the way to go. We are also giving the farmers legal representation when they fall on us for support,” he added.
Director of Public Affairs at COCOBOD, however, noted that the remuneration for cocoa farmers could be improved to better the lives of farmers.
“The remuneration for cocoa farmers can be improved. In as much as the farmers’ income can be improved, I do not believe in the idea that based on economies of scale, that is why the farmers are giving out their farms. Sometimes it is out of ignorance and the wish to get things immediately without thinking about the effects of it,” he said.
ESA/FNOQ