The Ashanti Regional Anti-Galamsey Task Force has extended its galamsey fight to the protection of cocoa farms under siege by illegal miners.

Cocoa farmers in rural areas have been raising alarm over the devastating destruction of their lands, with some farmers selling their farms to illegal miners, while others have had their farms forcibly seized.

According to the Ashanti Region Anti-Galamsey Task Force, it regularly receives complaints about illegal mining activities in cocoa-producing regions.

Captain (Retired) John Kwame Jabari, the National Security Liaison in the Ashanti Region, spoke about plans to assist affected farmers.

He explained that illegal mining is not only destroying cocoa farms but also causing severe damage to the river bodies.

"It is the citizens over there who come and give us the information that these people are destroying our cocoa farms," he said.

CEO of Cocoa Board, Dr Randy Abbey, expressed his support for the cause and stressed the importance of putting in place a strong legal framework to back the fight against illegal mining.

"Whilst we do that, we need to also put in place the necessary legal framework to back this," he said.

However, the Small Scale Miners Association has voiced concerns about the taskforce’s approach, particularly regarding what they view as forceful takeovers of land.

The President of the association, Michael Kojo Peprah, insisted that some cocoa farms had been legally acquired for mining purposes.

He argued that if the land is legally purchased and the farmers are willing to sell, the law permits mining in those demarcated areas.

"And if the person has his license, and even if it's a cocoa farm, and the farmers are willing to give it out, I think the law permits them to mine within that confirmed demarcated area," Mr Peprah stated.