The European Union is threatening to stop the purchase of cocoa from Ghana because of deforestation and child labour.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board in charge of Agronomy and Quality Control, Dr Emmanuel A. Dwomoh, said the EU had attributed the problem to cocoa farming, which unfortunately was not the case but illegal mining or galamsey.
The EU, which purchases about 80 percent of cocoa from Ghana, had indicated places which hitherto were covered with forest in the 70s and 80s but had been depleted.
Dr Dwomoh made this known Thursday, April 15, 2021 when he presented a paper title Illegal Mining in Cocoa Areas -The Position of Ghana Cocobod” at the National Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining in Accra.
Illegal mining Task Force seizes 8 pump action guns from Kingsperp Mining
A section of the excavators at the GHEL premises
The Environmental Sustainability Taskforce instituted by the Inter Ministerial Committee on illegal mining (IMCIM) by the previous administration last Monday strayed into parts of the Ashanti region and confiscated 10 excavators, in what is suspected to an illegal operation under the pretext of saving the forests from illegal miners.
The Taskforce was officially bound for parts of the Western region but managed to invade the concession of the Kingsperp Mining Limited in an unauthorised operation.
The Taskforce, which arrived at the mining site in a vehicle with registration number CR 1199-18, belonging to the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and also a mini bus, seized 10 excavators including CAT 349EL, CAT 345DL, CAT 336DL, CAT 330DL, SANY 365, SANY 335, SANY 335, LIUGONG 936, LI
The Environmental Sustainability Taskforce of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) last Monday strayed into a duly registered mining site and confiscated excavators and several other items.
The Taskforce, which is charged to save the forest from illegal mining operations was said to be officially bound for parts of the Western Region, but managed to invade the concession of Kingsperp Mining Limited in an unauthorized operation.
A Director of the Mining firm, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told the Ghana News Agency that, the Taskforce which arrived at the mining site in a vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, took away 10 excavators, including CAT 349EL, CAT 345DL, CAT336DL, CAT330DL, SANY 365, SANY 335, SANY 335 and three LIUGONG 936.
Illegal mining: A threat to food security in Upper Denkyira West District
The Upper Denkyira West District is one of the 22 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Central Region.
It shares common boundaries with Babiani Ahwiaso Bekwai Municipal to the north, Amansie West and Amansie Central Districts to the east, Wassa Amenfi East and West Municipalities to the West, and Upper Denkyira East Municipality to the south.
It was carved out of the erstwhile Upper Denkyira District with Diaso as its administrative capital. The minerals rich district has a total land area of 579.21 square kilometres representing three percent of the total land area of the Region.