The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) should put in place an effective mechanism to deter encroachers from taking over lands meant for agricultural purposes.
“It is necessary for us as a nation to protect and make judicious use of our land resources, especially those meant to promote agro-based activities.
“This cannot be glossed over given the high rate at which illegal small-scale miners were taking over agricultural lands, with their attendant negative consequences on the environment,” says the General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU).
Mr Edward Kareweh, the General-Secretary, observed that small-scale mining had already taken a toll on food production in the country as a vast majority of lands, hitherto, allocated for farming were being converted into mining sites.
“Water bodies are being polluted and the quality of our soil is being compromised due to the use of harmful chemicals by some of these illegal miners,” he lamented.
Mr Kareweh, who was addressing a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the GAWU, in Kumasi, said achieving sustainable agriculture and food security were at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Ghana could miss out in realising these targets without the availability of land,” he noted.
The GAWU, he said, would continue to provide the requisite support to the government for the effective implementation of agro-based policies.
Mr Kareweh, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on the sideline of the NEC meeting, said the event was designed to review and discuss the Government’s agricultural policies, programmes and policies.