The Minority in Parliament has warned that illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, is posing a severe threat to the country’s cocoa industry, water sources, and long-term food security.
In a statement marking National Farmers’ Day, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said the country is “running out of time” to protect the sectors that feed millions of Ghanaians.
“Today is not only a day of celebration. It is a day for deep reflection,” the statement said, adding that farmers, fisherfolk, processors, and agricultural workers continue to work despite “some of the gravest challenges in Ghana’s modern agricultural history.”
The Minority highlighted what it described as a “catastrophic grain market collapse,” noting that over 1 million metric tonnes of paddy rice, valued at GH¢5 billion, remain unsold.
The statement said the government failed to honour a promise to purchase all locally produced maize and rice, leaving farmers stranded and threatening national food security.
Fishers are also facing difficulties, the statement said, citing depleted fish stocks, illegal fishing, and “crippling logistical failures in the supply of essential inputs,” including premix fuel for coastal communities like Keta.
The caucus also criticised the influx of cheap, expired, and smuggled rice, often repackaged by politically connected importers, which it said makes local farmers uncompetitive.
Cocoa farmers, it added, are particularly affected. According to COCOBOD, 30,000 hectares of cocoa farms have been lost to illegal mining, causing land degradation, poisoned water, and collapsing livelihoods. Some farmers have abandoned cocoa production entirely.
The statement also warned that water pollution is reaching dangerous levels. Turbidity in the Ayensu River reportedly rose above 30,000 NTU – far beyond the capacity of treatment plants – threatening aquatic life and fishing communities.
The Minority called for urgent action, including the immediate purchase of unsold grain, restoration of premix fuel supply, enforcement against smuggled imports, and strong measures against illegal mining and fishing.
It also urged investment in modern farming and fishing technology, including AI-driven yield forecasting, precision agriculture, and sustainable aquaculture.
“To the millions of Ghanaian farmers across our fields and the fishers upon our waters: we honour you. We celebrate you. We see your struggles. We stand with you,” the statement said, promising continued advocacy for the sector.
