Sand-winning destroys over 50 acres of farmland at Tsumkpo

An extensive area of farmland in Tsumkpo, located in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region, has been severely damaged by sand-winning activities. The affected region, which was once cultivated for maize, groundnuts, pepper, and cassava, has suffered significant losses, leaving the farmers facing severe consequences to their livelihoods.

The problem has been brought to light by the affected farmers, who expressed their concern about the loss of their crops and the degradation of their farmlands. Samuel Kateinor, a 92-year-old farmer, recounted his decades-long experience of farming in the area and expressed his disbelief at the scale of the destruction.

The Assembly Member for the area, Israel Kweku Animle, received complaints from residents about the destruction of farmland and visited the affected farms. He discovered that some sand-winning operators had permits for the activities, but these permits were for a different location and had expired. Despite issuing another permit, the Assembly Member engaged the residents and sought to resolve the issue.

However, the District Chief Executive for Shai Osudoku, Ignatius Godfred Dordoe, claimed that the Assembly had never authorized any company or individual to undertake sand-winning activities in the affected area. He stated that the assembly had denied the operators permission and had asked them to obtain permits from the Minerals Commission first, which they had not done.

This conflicting information has left residents worried and demanding an investigation into the activities and the competing claims over the land. The farmers are also pleading with authorities to halt further sand-winning operations and protect the remaining farmland, warning that continued destruction could leave the community without a vital source of food and income, and potentially render the affected land unsuitable for agriculture.