GAWU speaks on effects of galamsey on cocoa sector

The activities of illegal miners, otherwise known as galamsey, are causing more harm than good to farmers within these mining areas.

While some farmlands have been destroyed, others have sold theirs to these galamseyers to receive large sums of money.

Speaking on the effect of galamsey on the cocoa sector, the General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Edward Kareweh, says there are no immediate solutions to addressing the challenges that have beset the sector.

He asserted that it will take a number of years for the country to reverse the harm that galamsey has caused to the environment.

In an interview with Citi News, Mr. Kareweh said the country's forests need to be rejuvenated and the river bodies need to be purified as well.

"We just need to appreciate that there is no immediate solution in terms of reversing the negative impact of galamsey on our economy and then on cocoa production from now until the end of the year. In fact, even if we stop galamsey today, it will take us a number of years to be able to reverse the harm that it has caused our environment," he said.

Kareweh added that, "We need to do some reclaiming of the land. We need to rejuvenate the forest. We need to try and purify the rivers. And that will also take a long time. So we don’t have immediate solutions.

"But then if we don’t start now, we will never be able to have the solutions. So we must start now to deal with all these negative factors again," he stated.

The GAWU General Secretary projected a possible decline in revenue generated from cocoa by the end of 2024 if the galamsey menace persists.

This comes after Ghana’s first-quarter cocoa revenue dropped by $500 million.

SA/MA

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