Accra, Ghana//-The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has called on the government to ban illegal mining popularly known as galamsey in the country.
In a press release issued by the National President of PFAG, Samuel Osei Kuffuor, it is worried about the increasing “galamsey” menace, which is ravaging the country’s water bodies and environment.
“This illegal and unconscionable activity, which is being perpetuated on the state by wicked, callous and greedy individuals is not only threatening the sustenance of our environment, but also the survival and livelihoods of farmers and our food and nutrition security.
Over the past years, over 1.2 million hectares of farmlands have been lost to the activities of illegal mining, and our water bodies, including irrigation facilities, have all been polluted, making it difficult to engage in any meaningful and sustainable production”., it stated.
The activities of illegal mining have not only the viability of our cocoa sector but also the production of food crops for consumption, industry and export.
Illegal miners have connived to either buy farmlands from poor and desperate farmers or use brute force or tactics to take over these farmlands for their activities. In areas which are closer to water bodies, farmers are unable to use the water for their production as they have been heavily polluted with poisonous chemicals and have become very turbid.
“This is in addition to the soils which have been poisoned, compromising the quality of the food crops that we produce. The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana is therefore sending a strong warning to the government, that if nothing drastic is done to stop this phenomenon, we are on the verge of a generational food crisis, due to the unavailability of farmlands, the effects of climate change and the wanton destruction of our water bodies”.
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, therefore joined calls by several identifiable bodies for a complete and immediate ban on all illegal mining activities in Ghana, until there is a consensus on mining activities and restoration of all damaged farmlands. We also call on all farmers across the country to support all actions by various groups within their jurisdiction to bring an immediate end to this menace.
