The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Honorable Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has highlighted a disturbing trend within the agricultural sector, warning that many cocoa farmers are now viewing galamsey as their only remaining economic option. This “viral” revelation comes amid an ongoing crisis where thousands of farmers across the country have remained unpaid since November 2025. The delay in payments has placed an unprecedented financial burden on households, forcing some to consider abandoning traditional farming in favor of illegal mining.
According to Mr. Assafuah, the situation is increasingly desperate. He recounted a specific instance where a farmer indicated that giving his land over to galamsey operators was the only way to settle mounting debts and provide for his family. This “viral” sentiment is echoed across several cocoa-growing regions, where Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) currently owe approximately GH¢2.04 billion to the regulator, COCOBOD. The lack of liquidity in the system has brought the local cocoa economy to a virtual standstill, creating a vacuum that illegal mining is beginning to fill.
The proliferation of galamsey on former cocoa lands poses a severe threat to Ghana’s long-term economic stability and environmental health. Statistics indicate that COCOBOD is currently managing nearly 50,000 metric tonnes of unsold cocoa at various ports, yet the proceeds have not trickled down to the primary producers. As a result, farmers are struggling to afford basic necessities, leading to reports of children being withdrawn from schools and routine farm maintenance being neglected. The shift toward galamsey is seen by many as a survival tactic in the face of institutional failure.
Government officials, including Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, have acknowledged that the current impasse is “unprecedented.” While the administration has directed immediate payments to be processed, the “viral” anger on the ground persists. If the state does not resolve the payment backlog swiftly, the transition from cocoa cultivation to galamsey could lead to a permanent loss of productive agricultural land. The Old Tafo MP’s comments serve as a formal warning that the moral and economic fiber of the cocoa-growing community is at a breaking point.
