A star witness, Dr Felicia Ansah-Amprofi, in the trial of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Cocoa Board, Dr Stephen Kwame Opuni, businessman Seidu Agong and Agricult Ghana limited,  have given two statements, which are deemed to contradict each other.

According to the Dr Ansah-Amprofi, who  is the Director at Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the Act that established the Directorate (Act 803) provides no exception for duration of fertiliser certificate to be extended beyond the two years.

However, the witness testimony later changed to conflict the latter, after the defence counsel for Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana, Nutififa Nutsukpui (Esq) examined her on why despite the two years duration, Sidalco Ghana Limited fertiliser certificates in 2011 were granted three years period each.

 This, she explained that what is on the certificate is what the lawyer has narrated but “the Act was enacted in 2010, [which] before then, products were not been registered. So when the Act come out and applicants started registration, concerns were raised about the fees and charges.

“A charge for a product is GH¢3,000. The concern was that it was too expensive. So a committee was set up to look at the fees and charges, and the recommendation was that the fees cannot be changed until the fees is reviewed in the future by the Fee and Charges Committee- it was a Legislative Committee on Fees and Charges. It was recommended that if the fees could not be changed being first time applicants, [certificate date] should be extended to three years instead of two. And, the committee accepted and all new registrants certificates  to three years. So based on that recommendation three years was granted to three years duration.”

She further explained that  the law give provision for applicant to put any case for consideration and this can be addressed by the committee, “so it is not cast in concrete and stone.  So applicants who have complaint can put their case to be addressed. And you can find that in Section 73.”

Hitherto, the lawyer said the bit about extension of the registration period as a complete afterthought.

Dr Ansah-Amprofi further told the court that lithovit fertiliser in their books was not meant to be used on cocoa trees but rather on food crops.

She added that the product content should be powdery and anything other than that may have been smuggled into the country.

The PPRSD Director further stated that Agricult Ghana Limited was not registered to manufacture fertiliser in the country. A response, that caused her to be invited to defined what is manufacture.

By Akutu Dede Adimer