Farmer-groups in the Tano North and South Districts of the Brong Ahafo Region have called for a review of the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703) in order to make clear-cut provisions on what should constitute compensations made by mining companies to affected parties within a mining community. The farmers said that the present provision in the Act of "fair and adequate compensation," is ambiguous which gives room to the mining companies to cheat them, causing frequent confrontations between communities and mining companies over compensations payments. They made these statements during the first strategy meeting of the national Coalition on Mining (NCOM), held in Accra last week. With regard to resettlement of families and communities located in mining concessions, the farmers suggested that government should take over the role from mining companies by building new settlements for the people and communities affected - while the mining companies are made to pay for them. The farmers said this would help solve the problems which arise when mining companies fail to provide roper resettlement facilities, and sometimes opt to move people to locations where they cannot gain access to livelihood supporting activities such as farming. "These issues are very serious for us because they have to do with our daily bread and feeding ourselves. The alternative livelihoods the companies provide are never adequate to make up for what we lose, and the prospects are really low in comparison to the farming activities we do with our lands," the farmers decried. Narrating some ordeals they currently suffer under the hands of Newmont, the company mining concessions within their communities, the farmers complained of air ¬pollution caused by dust from the mines, waste-water flowing from the mines to the communities, and mosquitoes breeding in dams belonging to the mines. Though two committees involving members of the community have been put in place - one to decide on compensations and the other to negotiate resettlement whenever the need arises - the farmers say Newmont has been manipulating the members so that all decisions taken turn out in its favour. "For one mature cocoa tree, Newmont pays less than GH¢20 to farmers which compares with GH¢40 paid by Bogoso Mines as far back as 2006," they cited. In a statement, Steve Donkor of Friends of Teleku-Dokazo, members of NCOM, urged government to implement quickly its proposal in the 2010 budget to impose the upper limit royalty tax of 6.0 percent instead of the lower limit of 3.0 percent that used to apply. He welcomes such amendments to the Mineral and Mining Act that will prevent surface-mining in forest reserves, empower the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate corporate practice in mining, enhance citizen's participation in mining, protect community rights, and remove stability provisions. Source: B&FT