Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has downplayed reports of a rift between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), describing recent differences over the release of funds for agricultural programmes as a misunderstanding that has since been resolved.

Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express on Wednesday, July 23, Dr Forson said there was no conflict between the two ministries and revealed that officials had held discussions to address the concerns raised.

According to Dr Forson, the disagreement stemmed from a misunderstanding after the agriculture minister misinterpreted the finance ministry's position. He said the matter had since been discussed by both ministries and clarified, insisting there was no dispute between them.

"There is no issue. It is not an issue at all. We have since had discussions around it. Honestly, the Minister for Agriculture visited us to explain his side, and we also explained our side. There is no issue at all."

His comments come after a public disagreement emerged between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture over the amount of funding released to support agricultural programmes this year.

The dispute was sparked by claims from the Ministry of Finance that it had released more than GH¢1.6 billion to MoFA, representing approximately 85 percent of the ministry's allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX).

According to the Finance Ministry, releases for Goods and Services reached 94.73 percent, while CAPEX disbursements stand at 74.66 percent, evidence, it says, of strong budget implementation.

The ministry further explained that, except for transfers to the National Food Buffer Stock Company, all funding requests had been initiated by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture through the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and processed in line with established public financial management procedures.

However, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture disputed those figures, arguing that they did not correspond with official budget execution documents issued by the Ministry of Finance.

Dr Forson, however, dismissed suggestions of any institutional conflict, insisting that the differing positions stemmed from a misunderstanding rather than a substantive dispute.

The Finance Minister said the matter had since been resolved following discussions between the two ministries, including a meeting at the Ministry of Finance where the agriculture minister explained his concerns and both sides clarified their respective positions.