The Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD Joseph Boahen Aidoo, taken a swipe at of MIGOP Mining Limited, a foreign-owned gold mining firm accused of allegedly destroying cocoa farms in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality, Ashanti Region.
The CEO says the activities by the mining company to explore and mine in the affected communities are unlawful and unacceptable.
“It is unlawful to destroy any cocoa tree or even to remove any tree on the cocoa farm. Which means that you can’t even go there and mine. Even if loggers cannot go and take timber trees, then it means that as for mining, it cannot come to any cocoa farm at all.
“The Minerals Commission is also complicit in whatever that is going on. In this instance that we are discussing, they were issued with an exploration license and not a mining lease. It is only when you’ve gone through all the necessary processes and procedures, then you need the final stage to establish that you have a commercial precious mineral there that is only when you will be issued with a mining lease but in this instance, they only have exploration license from the minerals commission,” he stated.
Details available indicate that about 400 acres of cocoa farms are under threat due to the exploration activities conducted by MIGOP Mining Limited.
Joseph Boahen Aidoo maintained that there was the need to protect the cocoa farms who are loosing their livelihoods.
He also slammed the Minerals Commission for its lack of oversight.
He said the commission approved an exploration license to the mining company but it didn’t follow up to ensure that there was no mining.
“The minerals commission has not followed up to see whether they are doing exploration or mining and by law, they are not supposed to use heavy machinery through any cocoa farm. So, whatever is going on there is unlawful and COCOBOD is going to assist the farmers to have the get compensation for whatever disruption might have occurred to their farms,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
