Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture John Dumelo has called for urgent scientific research to determine whether illegal mining (galamsey) is contaminating Ghana’s food chain, speaking at the FarmSense platform launch at KNUST.
Dumelo told journalists that while public concerns about food safety in mining-affected areas are legitimate, no conclusive evidence currently links produce from these zones to harmful chemical contamination.
“Until we do research to ascertain that this food coming from a region, half of them is laced with harmful chemicals, then we can make a certain conclusion,” he said at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology event.
The deputy minister emphasized that investigations must be conducted immediately to map out potentially contaminated foods and alert consumers. He urged Ghanaians to remain calm until scientific studies confirm or disprove contamination claims, noting that no region has been scientifically verified as producing unsafe food.
Dumelo praised the anti-galamsey taskforce for protecting water bodies and forest covers from illegal miners. However, he clarified that his ministry is not leading the fight against illegal mining operations.
He explained that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources holds primary responsibility for combating galamsey. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture is monitoring the situation’s impact on food production but respects jurisdictional boundaries, according to the deputy minister.
The call for research comes amid growing public anxiety about whether crops grown near illegal mining sites absorb harmful chemicals used in gold extraction operations.
