Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has directed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate delays in the supply of Additional Paddy Compound Fertiliser 3 (Baja 3) to paddy farmers in the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) area, Kedah. About 38,000 farmers cultivating roughly 78,117 hectares were affected by the disruption, which has compounded existing challenges like water shortages and hot weather conditions [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry had appointed Taveekun Manufacturing Sdn Bhd as the supplier, but the company failed to meet delivery commitments, leading to significant delays. As of August 18, only 137,560 bags — or 22% of the required 616,015 bags — had been delivered, according to Mada’s report [2, 5]. The ministry subsequently terminated Taveekun’s contract on August 27 and appointed Malaysian NPK Fertilizer Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Pertubuhan Peladang Kebangsaan (Nafas), to take over supply responsibilities [5].
The investigation was prompted after the Pertubuhan Persaudaraan Pesawah Malaysia (Pesawah) organisation filed a complaint with MACC on August 26 [2]. MACC confirmed it has since opened a formal probe covering possible criminal acts and governance weaknesses that may have caused the delays. The commission has begun taking witness statements [2].
Speaking at the closing of the Maha 2026 agricultural exhibition on September 6, Anwar criticized the lapses. "Which company was entrusted with the responsibility? Did they fulfil their promise or not?" he said. "If a company like this repeatedly makes mistakes, terminate the contract! Appoint a new company. Do not make farmers and paddy farmers the victims. Take action; if there has been wrongdoing, bring them to court. If they are to be charged, let MACC come in and review this process" [1].
Anwar also stressed the importance of good governance, saying increased budget allocations for the Agriculture Ministry would depend on prudent management to avoid fund leakages. "I have no problem at all increasing aid allocations because it will directly benefit farmers, padi growers, plantation operators and fishermen," he said. "However, increased allocations must be accompanied by good governance to prevent leakages and misuse" [6]. He added, "Spending can increase, allocations can increase, but if there are leakages, the ones who suffer are farmers, fishermen and padi growers" [7].
Agriculture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu confirmed the supplier’s failure had caused the delays and pledged full cooperation with MACC's investigation. "Based on the records, the supplier failed to fulfil the delivery commitments that had been set, resulting in delays in supplies to padi farmers," he said [5].
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has committed to tightening monitoring to prevent future supply delays [5]. The Maha 2026 exhibition, which recorded over 4.3 million visitors and RM66.88 million in sales, concluded on September 6, marking a high point for public engagement with the farming sector [8].
