The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has challenged claims by the Ministry of Finance that it has released GH¢1.6 billion, representing 85 percent of the ministry’s 2026 budget allocation, stating that available official budget execution documents do not support such assertions.
According to MOFA, the Ministry of Finance issued a Commitment Authorization to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on February 15, 2026. However, four days later, on February 19, 2026, the Ministry of Finance issued its First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter, which explicitly directed that MOFA’s total expenditure for the first half of the year should not exceed GH¢910 million.
The ministry further noted that the accompanying allotment schedule imposed even stricter spending limits, restricting actual expenditures between January and June 2026 to approximately GH¢453 million. This amount, MOFA said, was intended to cover all expenditures, including compensation of employees, contract commitments and operational activities.
According to the allotment schedule, allocations to key agricultural interventions included:
- Farmer Service Centres – GH¢172,500,000.00
- Nkokonkitinkiti Programme – GH¢36,747,767.55
- Fertiliser and Certified Seeds – GH¢77,297,026.30
- Feed Ghana Programme – GH¢4,500,000.00
- National Food Buffer Stock Company – GH¢30,000,000.00
- Irrigation Infrastructure – GH¢26,250,000.00
MOFA stated that since the issuance of the allotment letter, it has not received any subsequent communication from the Ministry of Finance authorising additional expenditures that would justify the claim that GH¢1.6 billion has been released to the ministry.
The ministry therefore questioned the basis of the figure being cited publicly.
“If the Ministry of Finance officially capped MOFA’s spending through its allotment system and has not issued any subsequent authorisation, where exactly is this GH¢1.6 billion figure coming from?” the statement asked.
MOFA stressed that public financial management is guided by official allotments, cash releases and actual budget availability, rather than public pronouncements.
The ministry maintained that Ghanaians deserve transparency, accuracy and accountability in the management of public finances, particularly in the agriculture sector, which remains central to food security and national economic development.
For the avoidance of doubt, MOFA said copies of the Commitment Authorization and the 2026 First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter, together with the accompanying expenditure schedule, have been attached to support its position that the ministry’s expenditure ceiling for the first half of 2026 was capped at GH¢910 million.
“The facts speak for themselves,” the statement concluded.
Signed
Samuel Huntor
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the Minister for Food and Agriculture