E/R: Miners Are Cheating Us – Juaso Cocoa Farmers Cry Out

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Cocoa farmers who have been Affected by the activities of Miners at Akyem Juaso in the Fanteakwa South District in Eastern Region are complaining bitterly about the compensation they receive from these miners after they take over their lands.

According to the farmers, the prices of the commodities on the land are fixed for them in that they don’t open rooms for bargain.

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Speaking to Nana Asare, Dwantoahene and also a  buyer, ‘Cocoa Krakye’ reveled  to Radio 1 News that Miners decide on compensation fees given to cocoa farmers whose lands are been taken by them and has to accept it since their farms would be invaded before they come for negotiations and they would have no option than to accept any token offered them.

He said, the miners take their land and when it’s time topay them, they give them what they like without any negotiation with them;which he believes does not help in any ways. He added that money they gain isjust a peanut which cannot even build a single room to serve as their benefitsfor farming, struggling day in, day out in their entire life.

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‘’The compensation from the miners to the cocoa farmers isdecided by the miners, they were at first given GHS5, 000.00 but have nowincreased it to GHS9, 000.00, and if you look at young cocoa plants which theyare cutting them away and giving us that little amount, we cannot even build aroom from it.’’ he lamented.The legislation covering compensation for theacquisition of land for mining purposes in Ghana had, until recently, not madeprovision for compensation for deprivation of land use. This, among others, ledto speculative farming and other atrocities which resulted in conflicts betweenaffected farmers and mining companies. The situation has become tough at AkyemJuaso whereby miners decide on compensation fee given to cocoa farmers whoselands have been taken over by these miners.

By: Radio1News|Ghana|Obido Nana Gyasi