A general view shows the Escobal mine, owned by Pan American Silver, as Guatemalan and Argentine indigenous communities say their lives have been severely affected by mining, while attending a regional summit, in San Rafael Las Flores, Guatemala May 3, 2022. Picture taken May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria 

Mercury is swilled about in a gold pan to gather the gold from the dirt at a mining site in Bawdie, Ghana, April 4, 2019. Picture taken April 4, 2019. To match Special Report GOLD-AFRICA/POISON REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko 

An informal gold miner adds mercury to panned material to suck the gold out of the dirt at the site of Nsuaem-Top in Ghana, November 23, 2018. Picture taken November 23, 2018. To match Special Report GOLD-AFRICA/POISON REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra 

An artisanal miner pans for gold in alluvial sediment over a plastic bucket at the unlicensed mining site of Nsuaem Top in Ghana, November 23, 2018. Picture taken November 23, 2018. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra 

An artisanal miner pans for gold using a plastic wash basin and metal pan at an unlicensed mine near the city of Doropo, Ivory Coast, February 13, 2018. Picture taken February 13, 2018. REUTERS/Luc Gnago 

The harvested salt is seen in a mound in a salt pan at Xwejni, outside the village of Zebbug on the island of Gozo, Malta September 4, 2018. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi 

A pile of salt is seen in a salt pan at Xwejni, outside the village of Zebbug on the island of Gozo, Malta September 4, 2018. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi 

Salt flakes are seen in a salt pan at Xwejni, outside the village of Zebbug on the island of Gozo, Malta September 4, 2018. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi 

A pile of salt is seen in a salt pan at Xwejni, outside the village of Zebbug on the island of Gozo, Malta September 4, 2018. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi 

REFILE - QUALITY REPEAT Prospectors pan for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago 

A wildcat gold miner, or garimpeiro, uses a basin and mercury to pan for gold at a wildcat gold mine, also known as a garimpo, at a deforested area of the Amazon rainforest near Crepurizao, in the municipality of Itaituba, Para State, Brazil, August 5, 2017. REUTERS/Nacho Doce 

A wildcat gold miner, or garimpeiro, uses a basin and mercury to pan for gold at a wildcat gold mine, also known as a garimpo, at a deforested area of the Amazon rainforest near Crepurizao, in the municipality of Itaituba, Para State, Brazil, August 5, 2017. REUTERS/Nacho Doce 

Informal mining in Brazil is seen by many as a scourge polluting the Amazon rainforest, poisoning indigenous tribes and robbing the nation of its wealth. For others it is a way of life. Brazilian garimpos, or wildcat mines, are operated by small crews of men, often caked in red-brown mud and working with rudimentary pans, shovels and sluice boxes that have been used for centuries. More sophisticated operations use water cannons and boats sucking mud from the bottoms of rivers. Regardless of the method, searching for gold and other minerals like cassiterite and niobium is dirty, dangerous and often illegal. "Looking for gold is like playing in a casino," said a 48-year-old miner. Miners asked not to be named, saying they feared the police as much of their work is illegal. Garimpos are in the spotlight as Brazil debates opening an area known as Renca in the northern Amazon forest to mining, which has met with stiff resistance from environmentalists. Mines and Energy Minister Fernando Coelho Filho argues that licensed mining will be an improvement over the estimated 1,000 people currently mining in the reserve illegally. Crepurizao lies hundreds of miles south of Renca, but gives a window into life in the garimpos caught up in the debate. Living in makeshift homes of wood and plastic, miners in the area ship some 60 kilograms of gold per month, according to traders. That much pure gold is worth millions of dollars on the global market, but high costs and layers of traders in the local market leave most miners living on the brink of poverty. REUTERS/Nacho Doce SEARCH "WILDCAT MINING" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: BRAZIL-ENVIRONMENT/MINING 

Traders are pictured at their desks in front of the DAX board at the Frankfurt stock exchange April 13, 2015. European shares stalled on Monday after a recent rally as poor Chinese trade figures knocked mining shares, although mergers and acquisition activity helped keep pan-European indexes afloat. REUTERS/remote/Pawel Kopczynski 

A road surrounds a dam and salt pan at a mining complex located on the outskirts of the South Australian capital city of Adelaide March 8, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray (AUSTRALIA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT) 

B. Dennis Dutcher holds gold flakes he panned from along the Salmon River near Riggins, Idaho July 3, 2014. Citing states' rights, miners were using portable pumps and hoses to collect gravel and sand from the streambed of a stretch of the federally protected Salmon River, which is closed to suction dredging and other mining by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to protect imperiled fish. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS COMMODITIES CIVIL UNREST) 

B. Dennis Dutcher pans for gold along the Salmon River near Riggins, Idaho July 3, 2014. Citing states' rights, miners were using portable pumps and hoses to collect gravel and sand from the streambed of a stretch of the federally protected Salmon River, which is closed to suction dredging and other mining by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to protect imperiled fish. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS COMMODITIES CIVIL UNREST) 

B. Dennis Dutcher points to a gold flake he panned along the Salmon River near Riggins, Idaho July 3, 2014. Citing states' rights, miners were using portable pumps and hoses to collect gravel and sand from the streambed of a stretch of the federally protected Salmon River, which is closed to suction dredging and other mining by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to protect imperiled fish. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS COMMODITIES CIVIL UNREST) 

A prospector looks on as he prepares to pan for gold at the Marco gold mine in Mukungwe locality in Walungu territory of South Kivu May 10, 2014. Decades of corruption, mismanagement and violence have blighted the development of Congo, which at the time of independence in 1960 was Africa's second most industrialised economy. In 2013 it was near the foot of global tables for per capita economic output. Now industrial mining operations are moving back to regions that have been the preserve of artisanal miners since the collapse of Congo's state-run mining operations in the 1990s, at the end of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year rule. Picture taken May 10, 2014. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT COMMODITIES CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) 

Boys working as artisanal miners take a break from panning for gold at the Marco gold mine in Mukungwe locality in Walungu territory of South Kivu May 9, 2014. Decades of corruption, mismanagement and violence have blighted the development of Congo, which at the time of independence in 1960 was Africa's second most industrialised economy. In 2013 it was near the foot of global tables for per capita economic output. Now industrial mining operations are moving back to regions that have been the preserve of artisanal miners since the collapse of Congo's state-run mining operations in the 1990s, at the end of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year rule. Picture taken May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT INDUSTRIAL COMMODITIES CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) 

Artisanal miners take a break from panning for gold at the Marco gold mine in Mukungwe locality in Walungu territory of South Kivu May 9, 2014. Decades of corruption, mismanagement and violence have blighted the development of Congo, which at the time of independence in 1960 was Africa's second most industrialised economy. In 2013 it was near the foot of global tables for per capita economic output. Now industrial mining operations are moving back to regions that have been the preserve of artisanal miners since the collapse of Congo's state-run mining operations in the 1990s, at the end of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year rule. Picture taken May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) 

Artisanal miners take a break from panning for gold at the Marco gold mine in Mukungwe locality in Walungu territory of South Kivu May 9, 2014. Decades of corruption, mismanagement and violence have blighted the development of Congo, which at the time of independence in 1960 was Africa's second most industrialised economy. In 2013 it was near the foot of global tables for per capita economic output. Now industrial mining operations are moving back to regions that have been the preserve of artisanal miners since the collapse of Congo's state-run mining operations in the 1990s, at the end of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year rule. Picture taken May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT COMMODITIES INDUSTRIAL CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) 

A prospector sorts gold particles found at the Marco gold mine in Mukungwe locality in Walungu territory of South Kivu May 10, 2014. Decades of corruption, mismanagement and violence have blighted the development of Congo, which at the time of independence in 1960 was Africa's second most industrialised economy. In 2013 it was near the foot of global tables for per capita economic output. Now industrial mining operations are moving back to regions that have been the preserve of artisanal miners since the collapse of Congo's state-run mining operations in the 1990s, at the end of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year rule. Picture taken May 10, 2014. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT INDUSTRIAL COMMODITIES POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) 

Prospectors pan for gold from soil being washed from the Marco gold mine in Mukungwe locality in Walungu territory of South Kivu May 10, 2014. Decades of corruption, mismanagement and violence have blighted the development of Congo, which at the time of independence in 1960 was Africa's second most industrialised economy. In 2013 it was near the foot of global tables for per capita economic output. Now industrial mining operations are moving back to regions that have been the preserve of artisanal miners since the collapse of Congo's state-run mining operations in the 1990s, at the end of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year rule. Picture taken May 10, 2014. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) 

A woman hands out a sample of gold (centre) as prospectors wash extracted soil and small rocks as they pan for gold in a stream near the open-pit at the Ndassima gold mine near Djoubissi, north of Bambari May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) 

Former Seleka soldiers look at prospectors washing extracted soil and small rocks as they pan for gold near the open-pit at the Ndassima gold mine near Djoubissi, north of Bambari May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES MILITARY SOCIETY) 

Prospectors wash extracted soil and small rocks as they pan for gold in a stream near the open-pit at the Ndassima gold mine near Djoubissi, north of Bambari May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) 

A boy cleans a shovel before panning for gold near the open-pit Ndassima at the gold mine near Djoubissi, north of Bambari May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) 

A prospector washes extracted soil and small rocks as he pans for gold near the open-pit at the Ndassima gold mine, near Djoubissi, north of Bambari May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES) 

Prospectors wash extracted soil and small rocks as they pan for gold near the open-pit at the Ndassima gold mine near Djoubissi, north of Bambari May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) 

A former Seleka soldier looks at a woman washing extracted soil and small rocks as she pans for gold near an open-pit at the Ndassima gold mine near Djoubissi, north of Bambari May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

Prospectors pan for gold from soil being washed from the Djoubissi gold mine, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Bambari April 24, 2014. Picture taken April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Emmanuel Braun (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) 

Prospectors pan for gold from soil being washed from the Djoubissi gold mine, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Bambari April 24, 2014. Picture taken April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Emmanuel Braun (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) 

Prospectors pan for gold from soil being washed from the Djoubissi gold mine, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Bambari April 24, 2014. Picture taken April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Emmanuel Braun (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) 

A woman carries a pan of mud in a local gold mine near the village of Game, about 230 kilometres north of the capital Bangui April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A woman pans for gold in a local mine near the village of Game, about 230 kilometres north of the capital Bangui April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A woman pans for gold in a local mine near the village of Game, about 230 kilometres north of the capital Bangui April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

Girls pan for gold in a stream next to a local mine near the village of Game, about 230 kilometres north of the capital Bangui April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

Girls pan for gold in a stream next to a local mine near the village of Game, about 230 kilometres north of the capital Bangui April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

A prospector pans for gold in a hole in a cocoa farm that is turning into a gold mine near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector carries sand as she pans for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 20, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 20, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector carries sand as she pans for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 20, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 20, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

Prospectors pan for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

Prospectors pan for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 20, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 20, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

Prospectors pan for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector pans for gold as a child watches her at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

Prospectors pan for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 20, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

Prospectors carry sand as they pan for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector carries a bag of sand as he pans for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 20, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 20, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector pans for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector goes down a hole as he pans for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 20, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 20, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector looks on as he prepares to pan for gold at a new gold mine found in a cocoa farm near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 20, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 20, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

A prospector pans for gold in a hole in a cocoa farm that is turning into a gold mine near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector goes down a hole as he pans for gold in a cocoa farm that is turning into a gold mine near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

Prospectors pan for gold in a cocoa farm that is turning into a gold mine near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

Prospectors arrive as they prepare to pan for gold in a cocoa farm that is turning into a gold mine near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT) 

A prospector with a child on her back carries sand as she pans for gold in a cocoa farm that is turning into a gold mine near the town of Bouafle in western Ivory Coast March 18, 2014. With high prices for the precious metal fuelling a gold rush in Ivory Coast and Ghana, diggers are scurrying to cash in. But the drain on the labour market and the harm done to cocoa plantations could endanger cocoa production in the two nations, which account for 60 percent of global supply. Picture taken March 18, 2014. To match Insight COCOA-GOLD/WESTAFRICA REUTERS/Luc Gnago (IVORY COAST - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS COMMODITIES EMPLOYMENT)