Galamsey’s devastating impact on cocoa production has left farmers struggling to find water for irrigation.
In an interview, Issifu Issaka, President of the Sewfi Bekwai Cooperative Cocoa Farmers Union revealed that galamsey has destroyed local water bodies, forcing farmers to buy water from towns and transport it to their farms.
He said that, “We have many challenges, especially with galamsey. It has greatly impacted us. Our cocoa production has dropped due to the swan swift disease, which forced us to cut down many trees, and we are now replanting. Some farmers have started harvesting again, but others are still struggling”.
This challenge, combined with the swan swift disease, has significantly reduced cocoa production.
According to him, galamsey has destroyed local water bodies, leaving cocoa farmers with no natural water sources to irrigate their crops.
“ Now, all cocoa farmers depend on buying water from town to irrigate their farms. Farmers have to travel long distances to purchase clean pipe water and then rent tricycles to transport it to their farms. The poor road conditions often result in higher charges, in some cases, tricycle drivers drop farmers in the middle of the road forcing them to carry the water the rest of the way” he added.
Sharing his personal experience, Issaka noted that he used to rely on a stream near his farm for water, but that stream has now been destroyed by galamsey.
“I now resort to buying water from other communities, but how long can I keep doing that? So my energy for the crops has decreased,” he lamented.
He went on to attribute 80% of Ghana’s low cocoa production to the effects of galamsey and urged the government to take immediate action to address the problem.
Listen to the audio below
Source: Adwenpa-Hene
