Mr Baffour Kwaku Agyemang, the sixth defence witness, in the case involving Dr Stephen Opuni and two others, said no farmer has ever complained about the ineffectiveness of the Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer.
He said, “l had also not heard from officers of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of COCOBOD of any farmer complaining negatively about the Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer applied on their farmers.”
Mr Agyemeng in his evidence-in-chief told an Accra High Court that he first applied lithovit on his farm in the 2013/2014 crop season and he recorded 2086 kilos of cocoa beans.
He said when he again applied it in December 2014, he recorded 6,625 kilos of cocoa beans and recorded 6,187 kilos in January 2015.
The witness said with the first encounter with the fertilizer, one got a burning sensation in the nostrils with a urine scent.
Mr Agyemeng, who is a farmer, said on the said evidence of Dr Yaw Adu Ampomah about the ineffectiveness of the lithovit fertilizer, he did not know him but what he knew was that the fertilizer was effective and good.
He said the CHED officers, who visited his farm, saw that the cocoa on his farm had better yields than other farmers.
On the test conducted by lecturers from the Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, on the Lithovit, which results came out to be ineffective, the witness said they had conducted their test but what he knew was that the fertilizer distributed by CHED was effective when used on cocoa farms.
He said since the lithovit was effective, he and other farmers wanted more to be used on their farms but unfortunately, they were told that COCOBOD had stopped distributing the agrochemical.
“We searched for lithovit liquid fertilizer on the open market, but we could not see a drop,” he added.
In a cross-examination led by Nutsukpui Nutifafa, Counsel for Seidu Agongo, Mr Agyemeng told the court that he never knew Mr Agongo until he came to court.
Asked whether he knew the Company, Agricult Ghana Limited, the witness answered in the negative, saying, “l do not know the company and had no dealing with it.”
The witness said it would be painful to suggest that the money used to purchase the lithovit for distribution to farmers was a waste of State funds and looking at that COCOBOD had not lost any money.
He said it was also painful that the accused persons were being brought to Court to be punished because they caused financial loss to the State through the purchase of lithovit liquid fertilizer, which to him was of great benefit to them.
Dr Opuni and Mr Agongo are facing 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, corruption by a public officer and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are on GHS300,000.00 self-recognisance bail each.
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