Gov’t babysitting gold sector while cocoa farmers suffer – Miracles Aboagye
New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicator Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has accused the ruling NDC government of protecting gold operations despite massive losses while cocoa farmers across the country suffer.
According to him, the current government’s economic policy is shaped to favor gold mining “including illegal operations” while allowing the cocoa industry to descend into crisis.
“Look at how they are babysitting their gold sector and how they are treating COCOBOD, they said they were going to give GOLDBOD some money to trade. Have they ever come to account how much they’ve given to GOLDBOD to trade?” he stated in an interview on Sunday.
He claimed that GOLDBOD has recorded losses worth over $200 million since its operationalization but the government is protecting its operations, adding that the government has confirmed that it purchases about 60% of Ghana’s exported gold from small-scale miners, a sector “dominated by illegal operations.”
“GOLDBOD run losses of $240 million. You see the way the government is babysitting them and managing them. But look at cocoa now, you see the cocoa situation,” he said. “The government has actually confirmed that they are buying in excess of about 60% or so of the gold we are exporting from the small-scale miners.”
“Minerals Commission’s own data shows that small-scale mining is made up of about 80 to 90% of illegal miners. So, the government is basically supporting the idea that let’s push the gold sector against the cocoa sector and it’s clear from all their actions,” he added.
Miracles Aboagye further asserted that illegal mining (galamsey) has been threatening the cocoa industry for several years, indirectly fueled by government policies. According to him, the cocoa industry is in a strong competition with the mining sector as most cocoa farmers have considered turning their farms into mining sites, laborers abandon farm work to engage in mining activities, and government’s priorities, as shown by purchasing patterns and policy support.
“The biggest competition to cocoa is galamsey in so many fronts, to the extent that they are even losing the labor on the cocoa farms because the farm hands prefer to go and work on galamsey sites. Already cocoa farms have been competing with rubber when you go to Western and Western North, a lot of cocoa farmers are cutting their cocoa trees and planting rubber,” he noted.
He pointed out that even with reduced prices, farmers face diminishing returns that make cocoa farming increasingly less profitable.
“Even if you do the math using one acre of land your cost has increased to GHC12,000, you’re still getting about GHC25,000, at the end of the day you’re still making something compared to 31,000. Why do you think the cocoa farmer should settle for less? A cocoa farmer who used to get GHC31,000 for an acre of cocoa farm which you promised him times two, so you promised him something around GHC62,000 but you come unable to give him the GHC31,000, you are giving him 25,000, and you say he should be happy about it,” he argued.
“The farmers say if for nothing at all keep it at 3,000. If you cannot give us more, don’t give us less. That’s what they’re saying,” he added.
About The Author
