Deputy Minister-Designate for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has emphasized the need for better cocoa pricing to prevent farmers from leasing their lands to illegal miners.
Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, February 25, Dumelo highlighted the growing trend of cocoa farmers surrendering their farms to illegal small-scale miners in exchange for large sums of money.
The Ayawaso West Wuogon legislator stressed that many farmers feel compelled to sell their lands due to the low prices offered for cocoa in the country.
He argued that providing farmers with competitive pricing would encourage them to protect their farmlands rather than seek financial alternatives through mining deals.
“Giving cocoa farmers the right price will deter them from selling their cocoa farms,” Dumelo stated.
He further called for stricter regulations in the mining sector to prevent destructive activities that negatively impact agriculture.
“The second one is also to restructure or structure the whole mining industry well so that wherever they mine, it wouldn’t be able to affect these cocoa farms. But I think that the main one is about pricing,” he added.