The scramble for gold is threatening agriculture. Increased illegal gold mining in recent years has created heavy environmental calamities. These include soil erosion and contamination, air and water pollution from acid mine drainage, to leakage of chemicals and sedimentation. The cocoa sector is one of the biggest casualties. Cocoa farmers are bearing the brunt of demand for the water-hungry precious metal, writes DANIEL ESSIET
AGRICULTURE is Nigeria’s largest sector, accounting for 24.4 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). This is according to PwC Nigeria, an international multidisciplinary consultancy firm.
The sector benefits from a favourable political backdrop, booming import demand and abundant supply of arable land.
A significant number of Nigerians rely on agriculture for their livelihood. It provides job opportunities for the people. One of the top cash crops is cocoa. Given the important role of cocoa in chocolate manufacturing, exports and consumption, demand for cocoa beans is high.
West Africa is contributing huge supply to the global cocoa market, even as Nigeria is a major player in terms of cocoa export. Cocoa is cultivated in 14 states, making Nigeria a major factor in global cocoa production. Its output is estimated at 250,000 tonnes a year. Other top cocoa producing countries in the world include Cameroon, Indonesia, Ghana and Côte D’ Ivoire.
Osun’s cocoa
Chocolate, a by-product of cocoa, is enjoyed by so many and there is a global supply chain that cuts across countries and states.
Osun State is the third largest cocoa producer Southwest of Nigeria after Ondo and Oyo states.
Osu in Atakumosa West Local Government of Osun State is one of the nation’s cocoa production bases.
The Nation was part of a study survey in Osu organised by postgraduate students of Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, under the auspices of Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA).
The cocoa sector is a large one with entrepreneurs handling landholdings of more than 10 acres. Majority of cocoa farms are managed by the private sector.
Olaitan Muyiwa is one of the cocoa farmers in the area. He said there is much profit in cocoa farming, adding that crop plays an important role in employment generation and improvement of livelihood of farmers and exporters.
Mrs Olaitan Olabanke is another cocoa farmer, with her farm at Ibodi area. She said cocoa farming has enabled her to build a home and educate her children.
Chairman of All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Atakumosa West Local Government, Chief Otemuyiwa Olusoji, is a major cocoa famer in Osu. He has been in the business for more than 25 years and has over 20 hectares of cocoa farm.
Olusoji said cocoa farming constituted the main stay of the area, adding that there are opportunities farmers could take advantage of in cocoa farming. He noted that quality of the beans and the workers who produce them are crucial to the success of cocoa in domestic and international markets.
For them, the value and volume of cocoa per unit of cultivation are higher than other arable crops. Its value chain encompasses many activities that can benefit Nigerians and drive socio-economic growth.
The scramble for land
Although Osu is famous for cocoa and other cash crops production, its gold mining sector has the potential for foreign exchange. The presence of gold deposits in Osu community has attracted big and small-scale miners, and illegal miners to the area.
The mineral wealth in the area is a magnet for mining investors. The impact of the influx is felt across Itagun, another town in Atakumosa West; Iperindo in South East of Ilesa and other neighbouring settlements.
Experts believe the area boasts a large gold deposit worth approximately $5 billion.
At present, mining activity is competing with agriculture. In recent years, the competition has become fierce. This has left bleak future for food production in the area. There are tensions over land control. There is conflicts in farming communities where mining companies operate.
Farmers in the area view the environmental consequences of mining projects with great concern in terms of access to potable water and farming.
Impact of illegal gold mining
In Osu, the impact of illegal gold mining and its spillover effects on agriculture is a huge concern for residents.
The pressing challenges include pollution and environmental degradation. There are concerns about loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and social conflict due to failure to recognise local land rights.
Olusoji told The Nation that illegal miners are displacing cocoa farmers on farmlands on which they have long subsisted. This has led to the degradation of farm lands, especially cocoa farms that brought wealth to the area. As a consequence, farmers are abandoning their farms as miners excavate and pump contaminated water and chemicals into the soil.
For them, the entire ecosystem is under threat, all because of the insatiable demand for gold.
The effects extend from the agricultural sector to livelihood, food security, and health of residents.
A cocoa farmer, Mr Isaac Olaitan, said Illegal miners go into cocoa farms with or without the permission of farm owners to mine gold, using excavators to dig the ground, thereby causing loss of cocoa trees.
Another farmer, who didn’t want his name mentioned for fear of repression, said his farm was destroyed by illegal miners. Though he said he reported the incident to the police, there was no tangible outcome.
For this reason, farmers are worried illegal gold mining is affecting their cocoa farming as well as their livelihood.
Dr Kehinde Adesina Thomas, of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, said the scramble for land indicates a dangerous trend in the move to plunder the agriculture sector.
His words: “The case of illegal gold mining in Osun State leaves so much to be desired, considering its effects on agriculture and the environment. It appears we have not learnt our lessons from the discovery of petroleum that was responsible for the neglect of the agricultural sector that used to be the mainstay of the country’s economy during the pre and post-independence era. The discovery of gold is not the problem but the uncoordinated nature the people are going about the exercise. The heart of the issue is that mining activity has come into direct competition with agricultural development, particularly among small-scale holders in the rural areas.”
Thomas said stakeholders need to give meaning to economic development efforts and work together towards an equitable share of benefits, from large corporations to small-and-medium enterprises right down to the people. Gold mining has continued to encroach on farmlands, pitting miners against farmers.
Many areas in Atakumosa West Local Government are mineral-rich and in danger of being targeted by miners. Communities have to deal with environmental issues and violence that trail illegal mining.
Olusoji described the area as an iconic agricultural region because of its outstanding natural resources.
Although he is aware of the vital role mining industry plays in the economy of the country, he believes agricultural land should be preserved for its vital role in producing food for future generations.
He decried a situation where farmers who had worked on the same land for generations being forced out of their lands.
At a stakeholders engagement forum at the local government secretariat, Head of Department of Agriculture, Atakumosa West Local Government , Ajayi Ademola, said illegal gold mining had exposed Osu community to exploitation, pollution and encroachment on farms.
According to him, herders and illegal miners are making farming unhealthy as the area becomes impoverished.
Chairman of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Atakumosa West Local Government, Mr Elijah Ogunmleye, said battling the illegal practice was important. Due to the complicated land ownership issues, stakeholders believe cocoa farmers do not have the ability to stop illegal miners and their activities.
Although there is a lot of profits from illegal mining, Thomas said the activities should be stopped. According to him, if the cocoa farms are not left alone, it may have severe consequences on the foreign exchange earning capacity and further reduce the contribution of agriculture to the gross domestic product (GDP). Olusoji said the local government was famous for cocoa production, as such the government must protect farm lands from herders and illegal mining operators who leave massive pits where cocoa trees formerly stood.
Such activities pollute water bodies which the communities rely on as source of drinking water. He regards cocoa as the wellspring of life in the area which he said must be guarded jealously.
In Osu, mining contribution to the local economy and social setting has been mixed, with the Federal Government being the real beneficiary. Stakeholders urge the government to re-examine the role of miners in promoting long-term socio-economic development of the area.
Environmental concerns
Despite that mining activities bring quick money, Thomas argued that it renders the land worthless for hundreds of years to come. Mining communities have to deal with heavy impact on water quality and quantity, air pollution, infrastructure, soil pollution, visual impact and noise pollution.
Osu and its environs have experienced many of these problems since illegal miners began operation in the areas. In most cases, mining waste is washed into water courses along farms. It also causes the development of erosion gullies, which can lead to further damage.
It was further learnt that there are some miners with government permits who destroy land within cocoa plantations in a bid to create paths or roads leading in or out of the apportioned mining areas.
Thomas said reconciling mining and agriculture has become a critical governance issue, since both are important development drivers which lift people out of poverty.
He acknowledged that mining has its advantage through tax revenue, but this should be weighed against the consequent environmental, health, security and economic crises it engenders.
Mercury poisoning
While small-scale gold mining is a vital source of income, the use of toxic mercury to separate the gold from the ore is a major source of fear for the people.
According to experts, small-scale gold miners use mercury to separate gold from other materials, and the mercury finds its way into the environment and poses significant health risks for processors as well as those living and farming near mining sites.
According to experts, excessive use of mercury in the amalgamation process releases large amounts equivalent to many times the amount of gold produced into the environment. Excessive exposure to mercury, which is a neurological toxin, is believed to cause deformities and nervous system disorders.
Dealing with the issue, Thomas said, requires the collaboration of various agencies of government to harness the sector’s development potential.
He said there must be good legislation and regulation to protect the environment, agriculture and the community.
One of these is that mining companies must conduct environmental impact assessments and illustrate how they are planning to rehabilitate the land. The environmental impact assessment, according to him, should include an environmental management plan, which outlines steps to protect and rehabilitate the environment.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) 2018 Global Mercury Assessment, artisanal and small-scale mining emitted some 800 tons of mercury into the air, roughly 38 per cent of the global total, and released some 1,200 tons of mercury into lands and water. Mercury poisoning also represents a serious and direct health threat to the 12 to 15 million people who work in the sector around the world.
Gold mining has expanded in Osu, but the environmental impact for the local communities is still an apprehension.
Why the boom in illegal gold mining
As a commodity, gold is especially vulnerable to illegal mining. It is a common resource, seemingly abundant and expensive to regulate, which exposes it to illegal extraction.
Since some individuals who are not indigenous to the state discovered that the lands predominantly used for cocoa farming are endowed with mineral resources, especially gold, they have decided to settle there for mining business. The police had arrested some illegal miners, but this doesn’t always discourage them from returning.
The Osun State government has declared war on the culprits, warning them to desist from the act or be ready to face the wrath of the law. It warned that those with valid licences should not entertain any fear.
But despite these warnings, the culprits have not given up. They sneak to the farms early in the morning to carry out their illegal activities. They also go to the farms in the dead of the night in search of the product. They invade the farmlands digging for gold with impunity.
The communities are fighting for their lands in the face of threats from mining and environmental destruction. In some cases, the people’s source of survival is at stake. Farmers are concerned that there is not enough security forces to protect the areas, and that has had deadly consequences.
They have found evidence of illegal mining on their land, including contamination of water from residue produced by gold extraction. They have been forced to defend themselves against violent threats from illegal miners. There is a gold rush and many illegal mines have been opened there since gold was discovered.
Why cocoa farming matters for rural development
Cocoa is Osun’s most valuable agricultural crop. The industry remains private sector-driven and heavily skewed towards upstream activities associated with small plantations.
Cocoa production has significantly impacted on Osu’s small economy. It provides livelihood for over 70 per cent of the residents. Vast majority of cocoa still originates on family-run small farms and other farms.
As a key production base, the Principal Investigator/Country Lead, APRA, Dr Adeola Olajide called for support to translate the efforts of Osu farmers into better livelihood at the farm level.
To achieve this requires economies of scale in production and a new approach to support smaller farms to be managed professionally, efficiently and thus generating higher income for farmers.
She advocated a safer, more secure environment for farmers that supply the bulk of cocoa products for global consumers.
For her, the agriculture sector is going to be important in launching the economy to the next level.
She noted that there are significant opportunities for the development of commercial cocoa operations in the area.
Her worry, however, is that the cocoa hub confronts crucial challenges that will determine whether it continues on a sustainable path to prosperity or fall victim to economic stagnation.
Among these challenges are a range of potential threats to future growth and development that becomes daunting.
Adverse weather conditions combined with rising costs have threatened to weaken Osu’s position in the global cocoa industry.
Government’s response
Osun State government has registered 9,000 artisanal miners and their biometric data collected as part of moves to curb illegal mining and boost the economy of the state.
Governor Adegboyega Oyetola said this in Osogbo, the state capital, while opening a three -day Economic and Investment Summit.
Oyetola explained the Osun Revenue Diversification and Maximisation Scheme (ORDMS) will register all miners, mines and mining equipment and report on all mining activities in partnership with private sector technology partners.
The governor also said the state government has executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a renowned mining company as part of preparation for the commencement of mining operations.
He said: “We are happy to report that 9,000 artisanal miners have registered their biometric data on RFID-enabled tags with our technology partners.”
The governor hinted that the state has received N100 million from Badger Mines, a Canada-based mining company, as sign-on fee for exploration and development of one of the state’s mining titles.
Oyetola hoped that the summit would achieve the results going by the positive responses obtained from key players in the private sector.
He said the state government is fully prepared to support investment to thrive, particularly in mining, tourism and culture and agriculture.
“Our mining sector, like agriculture, is an old industry yet to be fully harnessed.
“The state has ample reserves of a variety of minerals, notably gold, lead/zinc, quartz, feldspar and several precious metals.”
He added: “We occupy a unique place in the mining sector in Nigeria. We are a mining state that hosts solid minerals. We are also a state that has invested in acquiring the licences for solid minerals under our land from the Federal Government.
“No other state in Nigeria can offer the unique combination of both regulatory and commercial fusion. We are a risk-ready state with an appetite for enterprise and reward for winnings.”
In its bid to support small-scale and artisanal miners, the Federal Government has commenced the first phase of biometric registration of illegal miners in the country.
This was done with the inauguration of the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) in Yauri Local Government of Kebbi State.
The initiative was kicked off with support from the Kebbi State government and Central Bank of Nigeria as part of a process to formalise and integrate artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities into the nation’s legal, economic and institutional framework.
Minister of Mines and Steel Development Olamilekan Adegbite, who was represented at the event by the Director of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Mr. Patrick Ojeka, stressed that the initiative, besides empowering artisanal and small-scale miners, would encourage and promote Nigerian processing and value addition industries.
Adegbite said the Federal Government would establish buying centres with the CBN as off-taker and integrate middlemen into the system, which he believed would lead to higher profitability for artisanal miners.
He said the Federal Government is on the process of building centralised processing centres with capabilities to produce minerals and enhance profit within the country, leading to reduction in taxes as incentives.
Adegbite , however, said: “The success of this initiative will only be possible through continuous co-operation, cohesion, commitment and the will of stakeholders and people involved.
“The sustainability of this project is what we plan to achieve and all measures have been put in place to ensure smooth implementation.”