The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Kweku Asomah Kyeremeh, says investigations into the activity of miners on the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited’s concession near Adiewoso in the Western Region has commenced.
This comes at the back of miners claiming they have permits from the Ahanta West District Assembly to undertake community mining in the area.
In an interaction with the media on the issue, the Lands Minister, Kweku Asomah Kyeremeh, disclosed that, a mine inspector has already been sent to the invaded part of the concession following the Ghana Rubber Estates’ petition to the Ministry.
“There is a procedure. Having written to the commission together with the Ministry, we are to take charge and investigate the matter and take action.
“The mine inspector has gone to the ground and has found the allegations raised by the Ghana Rubber Estate to be true; that their soil has been devastated in a particular way.”
In July 2020, hundreds of angry miners resisted attempts to drive them off the concession of the Ghana Rubber Estate.
This resulted in the miners openly defying uniformed personnel from Operation Vanguard, an anti-illegal mining task force, sent to forcefully eject them from the concession.
The Ghana Rubber Estate also said that, the mining activities were threatening their investment of about £550,000.
The natural rubber producers began the expansion of production in 2018 by 25,000 tonnes per annum with the support of the One-District-One-Factory project.
The company addressing the issue in a statement said that, the actions of the miners was a forced takeover.
“The take-over of GREL lands by several communities for Galamsey activities is an act of illegality that has to be condemned and the instigators or perpetrators brought to book.”
The company further lamented how the illegal invasion was going to affect raw material needed and defeat the support they had from the One District One Factory Initiative.
“This illegal invasion of GREL lands will certainly affect directly the raw material base needed for the two factories and also defeats the purpose of the support GREL had from the One District One Factory Initiative for the construction of the 1st Phase of its new rubber processing factory.”
Rubber is one of the most commonly used plant products in virtually every industry, from aviation to healthcare, education, sports to engineering, among others.
The rubber latex is useful for a wide range of industries and products. It is used for adhesive, insulating, friction tape, cement, crepe rubber used for footwear and insulating blanket. The rubber is also used in tires, hose, and domestic clothes wringers to printing presses.
Rubber farming on the other hand also provides a high source of income.
The economic life period of rubber trees in plantations is estimated around 32 years with up to 7 years of immature phase and about 25 years of productive phase.
