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Agric Ministry denies Deputy Finance Minister's announcement that GH¢1.67bn representing 85 per cent of budget for 2026 has been released

Graphic Online Jun - 06 - 2026 , 16:45 3 minutes read

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has disputed claims by the Ministry of Finance that it has released 85 percent of its 2026 budget allocation, insisting that actual releases as of May 29, 2026 amounted to only 12.4 percent of its approved budget.

In a press statement dated June 5, 2026 [copy attached below], the Agric Ministry described figures announced by Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, the Deputy Minister of Finance as misleading and maintained that the ministry continues to face significant funding constraints affecting the implementation of key agricultural programmes.

VIDEO: The body language of Agric Minister Eric Opoku when the Finance Ministry announced the release of GH¢1.67bn for agric sector representating 85% of approved budget for goods, services and capital expenditure for 2026 https://t.co/ISFwjMpq2F pic.twitter.com/DIsilfjzA9
— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) June 6, 2026

The statement, issued by MoFA’s Public Relations Unit, challenged figures attributed to the Ministry of Finance and argued that the financial realities confronting the sector differ substantially from what has been publicly presented.

According to the ministry, total releases received as of May 29, 2026, stood at GH¢244,321,150 out of an approved budget of GH¢1,970,686,606, representing just 12.4%.

MoFA said the funding shortfalls have affected operations across several critical programmes and interventions.

For Goods and Services, the ministry noted that only GH¢5,308,195 had been released out of an approved allocation of GH¢35,387,967 for headquarters and agency operations, representing about 15%.

The ministry also highlighted funding gaps under its flagship initiatives.

Under the Poultry Farm-to-Table Project, popularly known as Nkoko Nketenkete, GH¢67,369,742 had been released out of an approved allocation of GH¢244,985,117, representing approximately 27.5%.

MoFA described the Fertiliser and Certified Seeds Programme as critically underfunded, revealing that only GH¢15,313,000 had been released out of a budgeted GH¢515,313,522, representing about 3% of the approved allocation.

The ministry further disclosed that the National Food Buffer Stock Company had not received any funding despite an approved allocation of GH¢200 million earmarked for grain purchases and strategic reserves.

It also expressed concern over delays in capital expenditure, stating that no funds had been released for the construction of 50 Farmers’ Service Centres despite an approved allocation of GH¢690 million.

“On the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) side, no releases had been made for the construction of the Fifty (50) Farmers’ Service Centres, despite an approved budget allocation of GH¢690,000,000. Consequently, procurement processes and implementation activities for this critical intervention remain adversely affected,” the statement said.

However, the ministry acknowledged that some capital projects had received funding support. It noted that irrigation-related interventions had benefited from releases, while total capital releases stood at GH¢150,330,214 as of the end of May.

MoFA maintained that the figures underscore ongoing financial constraints affecting agricultural transformation programmes and urged the public to disregard misinformation regarding budget disbursements.