I don’t think it was Lithovit that UG tested – witness
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The former deputy Executive Director of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Division of Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) under the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Peter Okyere Boateng has questioned the credibility of a test conducted on the efficacy of Lithovit liquid fertilizer by the Chemistry Department of the University Ghana (UG).

Mr. Boateng doubted whether the Chemistry Department was given the same Lithovit liquid fertilizer that was supplied to farmers since its laboratory test result on the agrochemical product was contrary to what the CHED officials observed on cocoa farms.

He told the court presided over by Justice Clemence Honyenuga yesterday that: “The University of Ghana is my alma matter and that it is a place of academic excellence but with respect to the Lithovit fertilizer, what I personally observed from the application of the Lithovit liquid fertilizer in the farmers’ farms, and what the farmers said about the efficacy of the product, I know was that, the product is very efficient. And therefore my lord, I don’t think the product that the Chemistry Department of the University of Ghana tested was the same product that the farmers applied on their farms.”

Mr. Boateng is the seventh defense witness (DW7) in the trial of the former Chief Executive (CE) of COCOBOD, Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, and two others, Seidu Agongo, and his company, Agricult Ghana Limited.

The former CHED officer added that although the Chemistry Department of UG may rank the input inefficient, at the end of the day, it is the cocoa farmers who always confirm the workability of a policy or the efficiency of any agrochemical that is supplied to them by COCOBOD.

He explained that the cocoa farmers are the end users of every policy or every agrochemical that is released by COCOBOD, and “therefore, [I] maintain that the chemical that was tested could not be the same as the one used by the farmers, and which resulted in the massive yield for the cocoa farmers.”

Financial loss to the state

He further told the court that it could not be true that the US$65, 200, 000, which was spent on the purchase of Lithovit from 2014 to 2016 resulted in no significant increase in cocoa yield or production.

The witness said: “My lord, this can’t be true. Because there is evidence in the field from the farmers and from my own observation that, the Lithovit fertilizer that was purchased with the amount quoted was utilized by the Cocoa farmers, and all the farmers who used it, testified to the fact that, they had a massive increase in yields that contributed to the national production. I want to say that, in every year, we applied different types of fertilizer so, in the year in question,  it wasn’t only Lithovit that was applied. Lithovit contributed its part and the part that it played was very massive. And therefore, if national production was not significant,  then it cannot be attributed to the Lithovit fertilizer. And my lord, I want to emphasize that, in this case, if the Lithovit had not been there, and applied then the situation would have been worse.”

The witness further stated that he does not know how to come to terms with the prosecution’s claim that Dr. Opuni, Mr. Agongo, and Agricult Ghana Limited conspired together to defraud COCOBOD of $65, 200, 000, which is the total sum of the Lithovit fertilizer purchased for a three years period, thus from 2014, 2015 to 2016.

“I don’t actually know the basics of defrauding so it can’t be true. Because there is evidence that the money was used to procure Lithovit fertilizer. Also, there is evidence to show that the fertilizers were distributed to the cocoa farmers for application. And there is every evidence that, after applying the Lithovit foliar fertilizer, the farmers realized high yields, which increased their incomes so, the money was efficiently used and therefore there can’t be any defrauding in this issue.”

A million liters of Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer procured in 2017

He said the purchase of additional Lithovit liquid fertilizer for farmers was part of the recommendations that were made in a report compiled by CHED officers who visited the various cocoa-growing regions of Ghana in 2016.

Mr. Boateng told the Criminal High Court that COCOBOD accepted the recommendations and began implementing them. In essence, COCOBOD increased its procurement budget to cover 1 million liters of Lithovit foliar fertilizer in 2017.

The former CHED officer, while being led by Samuel Codjoe, lead Counsel for Dr. Opuni, said the management of COCOBD accepted Lithovit foliar fertilizer, as a very good, efficient, and efficacious product, with the potential to increase cocoa yield and cocoa farmers’ income.

When as to why he said COCOBOD management approve of Lithovit foliar fertilizer, he said: “My lord, the report that I compiled and forwarded to COCOBOD through my director, carried information about the efficiency of the Lithovit liquid fertilizer as was observed by all the teams that went into all the cocoa regions as well as the praises that the farmers sung on the efficacy of the fertilizer after application, was accepted in full and the recommendations about the product were implemented. So, the position was that the product is good.”

The case has adjourned to October 3, 2022.