By Emmanuella Sarfo

Copyright ghanaguardian

Edward Kareweh, former General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), has raised alarm over the devastating effects of illegal mining, or galamsey, on rubber production in Ghana.

Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Friday, September 19, 2025, Mr. Kareweh described galamsey as the biggest threat to the industry, surpassing previous challenges like the expansion of cocoa and oil palm cultivation.

“Mainly, it used to be oil palm and cocoa because rubber grows where other crops also grow, so when you expand oil palm, then the land available for rubber expansion is taken away; if you expand cocoa production, then that land is also taken away. So they used to be that competition,” he explained.

However, he warned that the emergence of modern-day galamsey poses a far greater danger, as it directly destroys rubber plantations and farmlands.

“So these were the threats that was there but eventually one threat then came which is dangerous than all of them—galamsey. The advent of the modern-day galamsey is destroying existing rubber plantations, oil palm plantations and cocoa plantations,” he stressed.

Mr. Kareweh also noted that some rubber farmers, unable to cope with the growing threats, have begun selling their plantations to illegal miners, further exacerbating the crisis.

As rubber production continues to decline, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has raised concerns that rubber processing plants across the country are facing imminent collapse due to a severe shortage of raw materials.