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General News of Sunday, June 9, 2019
Source: theheraldghana.com
2019-06-09
Dr. Yaw Adu-Ampomah was the witness of the AG in court
A witness to the Attorney General and Justice Minister, Gloria Akuffo, has confessed to her deep involvement in the purchase of fertilizer worth over 268 million US dollars for the 2011 cocoa campaign. 12 from a single source; What the Minister of Justice had declared to be a foreigner to the Ghana Cocoa Board until the emergence of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, years later.
However, the huge US $ 268 million spent by Mr. Yaw Adu-Ampomah and his colleagues on fertilizer at the time rather reduced the yield of this cocoa season. He explained that because cocoa trees were tired.
Dr. Adu-Ampomah, said that he and other people, including COCOBOD's general manager Anthony Fofie, had predicted that the cocoa trees would be tired. So they bought more fertilizer at an exorbitant price as part of the outsourcing.
In order to achieve its target of one million metric tons, the COCOBOD has requested and obtained from the procurement authority to subcontract the purchase of the goods. fertilizer from three companies in three tranches – February, June and November – in 2011 at USD 264,495,688.53.
In November of the same year, COCOBOD again obtained approval for additional fertilizer worth $ 3,351,301.50 from another company, bringing the total to $ 268,046,990.03. total expenses incurred for fertilizer for the 2011/12 season.
But after absorbing a huge amount in cocoa production, COCOBOD missed its goal. He was able to reach 879,343 tonnes for the 2011/12 cocoa season, said prosecution witness Dr Adu-Ampomah during his cross-examination last Tuesday.
The companies involved were Chemico Ghana Limited, which had supplied a Cocofeed Granular fertilizer worth 87,916,000 USD. Sidalco Ghana Limited, which supplied Sidalco K-Rich and Foliar Sidalco with balanced fertilizer fertilizers for USD 89,993,335.62; Wienco Ghana Limited, which supplied a AsaaseWura Granular fertilizer with a value of USD 86,586,352.91; and Yara Limited provided Nitrabor fertilizer for $ 3,351,301.50.
The revelation comes from the testimony of the prosecution witness headed by Chief Prosecutor Evelyn D. Keelson, in which he categorically stated that the practice at COCOBOD was that fertilizers were purchased only by telephone call. When the products are advertised in daily newspapers. However, it appeared to the court that his claim was false.
Ironically, Dr. Adu-Ampomah is a prosecution witness testifying against Dr. Stephen Opuni, former director general of COCOBOD, and businessman Seidu Agongo, who are currently being tried by the High Court of Accra, where the Dr. Opuni was charged with committing a single source during his tenure between November 2013 and January 2017.
Interestingly, Dr. Opuni's lawyer, who is the first accused, Samuel Cudjoe, was able to produce numerous COCOBOD documents contradicting the witness's claims, which led Dr Adu-Ampomah to reconsider his words for turn off single source against the accused.
In the previous session, Dr. Adu-Ampomah officially admitted writing letters to PPA and obtaining approval from a single supplier for the purchase of these fertilizers. He also conceded having been copied in several correspondences with PPA and by applications granted to single source fertilizers during his first term at COCOBOD as Deputy Director General for Agronomy and Quality Control.
Interestingly, cocoa production further declined to stand at 835,466 metric tons in 2012/13, compared with 879,343 tons in the previous year, although a substantial amount of cocoa was found in the United States. fertilizer was used during these seasons.
Dr. Adu-Ampomah, who is currently Special Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Owusu Afriyie Akoto, suggested to the court that the decline in yield was due to tired cocoa trees.
He explained that because of the high production of the 2010/11 cocoa season, it was expected that yields would fall in subsequent years.
The witness, however, faced evidence of a return of 896,221 metric tons during the 2013/14 cocoa season in his first year in office as General Manager of COCOBOD.
Read excerpts from the procedure below
Q: After holding positions at Cocoabod, you know the factors that affect the cocoa yield.
Ans: Yes my lord.
Q: Give us some of the factors.
Answer: If the chemicals are not applied in a timely manner. if rainfall is low; if the drought is severe; If the number of incidents related to the disease is high and the control is not carried out at the appropriate time; if the incidents of parasites are also high and poorly controlled; and poor agronomic practices are all factors that can affect yield.
Q: You mentioned more than 5 factors that affect cocoa yield and, as you would expect, you will agree with me that not one single fact can be badociated with crop yield.
Ans: Yes my lord. All work together and so, if one of them is ignored, this can affect the performance.
Q: So you will agree with me that having enough fertilizer and applying it without the input of other factors will affect the yield.
Ans: Monseigneur, if the fertilizer is compromised, the yield will be affected.
Q: If you have a good fertilizer but uneven rain distribution, the yield may be affected.
And, yes, my lord.
Q: In fact, if the fertilizer is good with good rainfall, but in case of harmful incidents, this can also affect the yield.
Ans: yes my Lord. There are several other factors
Q: Dr, as you might expect, you may have been aware of total cocoa production in Ghana since at least since you worked for Cocoa Board as Assistant CEO A and QC.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: You will agree with me that although Cocobod bought a lot of fertilizer during the 2011/2012 season, it was missing more than 140,000 metric tons.
Ans: Yes, my Lord. As I said, if a cocoa gets a high yield in a given year and if it does not pay attention, it will be reduced the following year. We had planned it and that 's why we increased fertilizer purchases.
Q: The question is this: despite the purchase of more fertilizer in 2011, there was an upcoming season missing from 1 million metric tonnes to more than 800 metric tonnes.
Ans: Yes, but that 's why I said that if cocoa trees did not get enough fertilizer, production could drop.
Q: Dr, during the 2012/2013 seasons, despite fertilizer production, total production is again
Ans: Yes, as I said, if a cocoa gives an unprecedented yield in 2010, it can reduce
Q: Dr, you can not attribute the fall to a single factor.
Ans: Yes, my lord but it was the major factor
Q: You know that during the first year of Dr. Stephen Opuni, cocoa production increased by 896,221 tons while less fertilizer was purchased compared to the 2011/12 season.
Ans: My lord knows, the credit will go for the previous harvest season.
Q: So, Dr., with this badogy, if you're right, the 2016/17 yield of 969,511 metric tons should be attributed to the implementation of the 2015/16 cocoa campaign [which included the use of contentious Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer].
Ans: Yes my Lord
Q: You also know that the weather is always a factor.
Ans: Yes my lord
Q: Dr. AduAmpomah, being aware of the rain, you will be aware of the world el nino.
Ans: Yes my Lord
Q: It's an extreme and unusual climate.
Ans: Yes my Lord
Q: In fact, you are aware that this is a sub-feature of an extended test time.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: In 2014, the el nino climate was experienced in Ghana and affected agriculture in general.
Ans: My lord, I would not know.
Q: In fact, el Nino weather has had a negative impact on cocoa production in Ghana.
Ans: My lord, it's debatable.
Q: You informed this court that after your retirement from Cocobod in 2013, you were still involved in the cocoa industry.
Ans: Yes my Lord
Q: In fact, there was general information in the cocoa industry and the cocoa industry in Ghana that this phenomenon affected cocoa yield.
Ans: Yes it can affect
Q: If indeed you were with the cocoa Abrabo pa that deals with the livelihoods of cocoa farmers, you would know it.
Ans: My lord, this is a weather situation that affects the west coast of Africa and the east coast of Latin America. This can affect performance sometimes.
Judge: let 's finish here for today.
Sam Kudjoe: My Lord, I wanted to arrive on a good note, but you let believe that I was late.
The meeting is adjourned until June 12, 2019, for the cross-examination to continue.
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