Francis Cyril Asiedu, a former District Extension Coordinator with Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has testified in defense of the controversial Lithovit fertilizer, stating it significantly improved cocoa yields.
Appearing before the Accra High Court, Francis Asiedu spoke under cross-examination by Samuel Codjoe, Counsel for the first accused, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, former COCOBOD Chief Executive.
The case, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh, Court of Appeal Judge, with additional responsibility for the High Court, also implicates Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Ltd. as second and third accused.
The trial stems from accusations surrounding the procurement and efficacy of Lithovit fertilizer.
However, Asiedu, the eighth defense witness, argued that contrary to claims in an official COCOBOD report, farmers in his Kade district observed noticeable improvements in yield, following Lithovit application.
He noted these findings were consistently shared in his reports to COCOBOD’s regional offices, which was then forwarded to the headquarters.
Under cross-examination, the witness acknowledged that before Lithovit, COCOBOD had used other liquid fertilizers, including Sidalco.
However, he asserted that farmers did not report similar efficacy with other fertilizers that were later supplied after Lithovit’s suspension.
Mr. Asiedu recounted that upon Lithovit’s suspension, he and fellow extension officers were puzzled, given the positive feedback from farmers and his own observations.
He insisted that he had no doubts about Lithovit’s efficacy in improving cocoa yield, disputing the findings of Dr. Yaw Adu Ampomah, former Deputy Chief Executive, in charge of Agronomy and Quality Control at COCOBOD.
Dr. Ampomah’s report, referenced in court, indicated that tests by the Ghana Standards Authority and the University of Ghana’s Chemistry Department found Lithovit to be “highly diluted” and lacking proven efficacy.
Mr. Asiedu disagreed, saying “The perception of farmers, reports of extension officers and my own observation attest to the efficacy of Lithovit.”
He stated that Lithovit was applied solely at the yield stage, rather than at the nursery or early growth stages, as suggested in Ampomah’s report.
When questioned further, DW8 confirmed that regional rallies with farmers and fellow extension coordinators from various districts also revealed similar testimonies on Lithovit’s effectiveness.
These observations, along with documentation from the regional offices, were routinely submitted to COCOBOD’s headquarters in Accra, he reiterated.
