Plea for budget increase denied #Ghana

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) on
Friday was told bluntly by the Public Accounts
Committee, that it does not deserve any
increment in its budgetary allocation, when the
ministry had proven to be operating on budget
surpluses.
This was stated by Hon. David Tetteh Assumeng,
a member of the PAC, when agencies under the
MOFA which appeared before the Public
Accounts Committee (PAC) were cited for
operating a surplus account by the 2011 Auditor-
General's report.
These agencies, as disclosed by the report, were
not just operating a surplus account but keeping
the surpluses contrary to the law.
According to Mr. Assumeng who doubles as the
MP for Shai Osudoku, the MOFA had over the
years cried for an increment in their budgetary
allocation, but ironically the agencies under it
were operating a surplus account, a situation he
argued was against the Financial Administration
Act 2003 (Act 654).
The above mentioned Act states that
government-subvented organizations which also
generate funds on their own should pay any
surpluses made at the end of the year into the
consolidated fund.
Notable among these agencies were the Export
Marketing & Quality Awareness Project which
operated in a deficit of US$256,772 in 2010 and
US$756, 921 in 2011; Livestock Development
Project US$493,119 in 2010 and $ 214,956 in 2011.
The rest are Inland Valley Rice Development
Project US$ 233,990 in 2009 and US$243,119 in
2010; ICOUR Limited GH¢85,701 in 2009 and GH
¢34,358 in 2010 and West Africa Agricultural
Productivity Programme amounting to GH
¢993,890 in 2010 and GH¢ 629,209 in 2011.
Another issue raised was the failure of Inland
Valley Development Project to save their interest
of US$17,444 in a separate interest bank account,
even though that account was purposefully
opened to control interests raised, according to
the 2011 Auditor-General's report.
Meanwhile, the second sitting of PAC was
brought to a close last week Friday, to be
continued when Parliament returns from recess.
It started its sittings on October 7, 2013, and
ended on October 18, 201