The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Afriyie Akoto, has predicted a potential ban on locally produced cocoa on the international market due to illegal mining activities and their effects on Ghana’s extensive forest cover and water bodies.

Dr Afriyie Akoto stated that chemical residues such as mercury and cyanide, among others, are affecting the sustainability standards of cocoa beans exported to European countries.

According to him, Ghana risks putting cocoa farmers within the value chain out of business if the current trajectory is not checked.

Expressing his concerns, Dr. Akoto stated that “It is the water pollution, cyanide and other chemicals, mercury that goes into the food chain and ends up in our stomachs. To me, that is the most dangerous part. It is not the quantity, but the negative environmental impact. I am afraid that it may go into the water in the cocoa areas. If we send a consignment of cocoa to, say, Belgium and they test it and find any trace, they could ban our cocoa exports.”

“So it is not so much the impact of the production as to endangering our international trade, and the only thing we have is cocoa. Immediately, the danger of these cyanides and these very dangerous chemicals going into our products, which we send abroad, will endanger our export earnings, which for me, is the biggest concern,” he added.

The conversation about the possible ban on Ghana’s cocoa was triggered by the European Union’s decision to implement a legislative instrument that ensures that goods exported to the international market are harvested, extracted, and processed sustainably.

According to reports, the purpose of the regulation is to minimize the EU’s contribution to global deforestation and to promote the consumption of products from deforestation-free supply chains.

The bill was supported by 453 votes to 57 with 123 abstentions.

The EU Parliament will now start negotiations on the final text with EU member states.

Commenting on the EU’s legislative proposal, Dr Afriyie Akoto fears the activities of illegal miners will hamper the cocoa industry.

This, he believes, will affect the economy at both national and local levels.

Meanwhile, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has beseeched the union to work with African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries to prevent its proposed ethical and sustainable supply chain rules from becoming a burden on the local cocoa and coffee industry.

Speaking at a two-day forum on the future of Ghanaian cocoa and coffee value chains under the theme “Alliances in Ghana: Coffee and Chocolate at the Table” in Brussels, Belgium, Mr Oppong-Nkrumah intimated that many exporters of cocoa in Africa will significantly affect their economies.

“By no means, however, should sustainability be used as a pretext to limit market accessibility. The exchange of best practices and technical assistance is necessary so that we can have a win-win situation in all of this.

“Their social reality and cultural context must be considered when designing legislation, so they may meet their demands and not bear a disproportionate burden of complying with the regulation,” he said.

Galamsey fight

The fight against illegal mining has somewhat become a wild goose chase.

Despite measures instituted to nib the canker in the bud, the activities of illegal mining still persist.

According to data from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), several cocoa farms in the Western, Ashanti, and Eastern regions have been destroyed by illegal mining.

In a study conducted in 2019 and 2020, COCOBOD discovered that 19,000 out of over 20,000 acres of cocoa farmland had been destroyed by galamsey activities.

The digging of small working pits and tunnels by miners in search of gold has in the long run destroyed Ghana’s water bodies and farmlands.

A chilling revelation by the Water Resources Commission (WRC) disclosed that about 60 per cent of Ghana’s water bodies have been polluted as a result of galamsey.

As part of efforts to combat illegal mining in Ghana, the government is said to be reviewing security strategies.

According to the Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah the revision, when implemented, will help the government institute strict and robust anti-galamsey policies to weed out illegal mining.

Source: The Independent Ghana