‘Galamsey’ a threat to Ghana's position as leading producer of cocoa – Agyenim Boateng

'Galamsey' making Cocoa lands less fertile

Stop selling cocoa lands to illegal miners - Managing Director of CPC

Ghana must focus on value addition to make more from Cocoa

Managing Director of CPC, Nana Agyenim Boateng I, has said illegal mining activities are a threat to Ghana’s position as a leading producer of Cocoa.


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Speaking in an interview on Joy Business, Agyenim Boateng illegal mining activities (‘galamsey’) was not only destroying the country’s water bodies but also destroys the fertility of lands meant for cocoa farming.

In addition, he said lands that have been set aside for cocoa farming are now being sold to illegal miners.

“There is the need for the farmers to avoid illegal mining and other activities which destroy soil for short-term gain,” he said.

He urged custodians of cocoa land to stop selling them.

Nana Agyenim also spoke about the need for Ghana to a value to cocoa for Ghana to make more foreign exchange from it.

He said although Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire produce over 60% of the world’s cocoa, the two made $10 billion from it while countries that do not produce cocoa were rather making fortunes out of the plant.

He, therefore, said the measures being put in place by CPC (Cocoa Production Company) to start adding value to cocoa would be very important to Ghana’s development.

He said Cocoa when processed into semi-finished products like cocoa liquor and cocoa butter would earn Ghana $28 million; adding producing cocoa into finished products like chocolate, skincare and cosmetics would earn the country $ 177 billion.