On 30 June 2020, we witnessed a Golden Jubilee Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of MADA that held at the MADA Headquarters, Ampang Jajar, Alor Setar. The ceremony, which was officiated by the Honorable Tuan Ahmad Tarmizi Bin Sulaiman, General Manager of MADA, was attended by 200 people consisting of New Board Members, MADA Headquarters staff, Regional staff, PPK staff and MADA farmers’ leaders.

The ceremony began with the singing of Negaraku song, Kedah State song as well as the reading of the Pledge of Public Service presented by Akmal Nizam Bin Abdullah, Economic Affairs Officer. The ceremony continued with a speech by the General Manager of MADA and a speech by the Honorable Chairman of MADA.

The MADA Chairman said, “The Young Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) can be proud of its establishment on June 30, 1970. This year, at the age of 50, the Golden Jubilee celebration is definitely awaited because MADA is part of the country’s important history of the rice industry”.

He added, “Muda area is the largest rice granary in Malaysia covering an area of 130,282 hectares where 100,685 hectares are paddy cultivation areas located in Kedah and Perlis. It is the largest agricultural project under the First Malaysia Plan (RMK1) started by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. At that time, the government wanted to change the paddy cultivation system to twice a year and combine the functions of two agencies, namely the Drainage and Water Services Department (JPT) and the Department of Agriculture which was centralized before MADA was created ”.

The goal of establishing MADA which was officiated by the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussien was to improve the well-being of the villagers who at that time were living below the poverty line with an average income of around RM2,000 a year. The next goal is to produce the country’s food needs by targeting Dataran Muda as an available place with paddy fields as a traditional industry.

MADA and farmers are like twin brothers, feeding rice to Malaysians. Of course I appreciate the hard work of farmers because I also come from a farming family. Although these people are not as rich as businessmen but they are the main driving force of the country.

Without farmers who are we, who contribute to the production of national food. For 50 years, MADA has faced various challenges to successfully develop this agency with the best agricultural system in the country. Thank you MADA residents for their commitment to fight for the fate of the farmers.

The celebration ended with the presentation of prizes for the 50-year exhibition corner competition as well as the launch gimmick completed by YB MADA Chairman and MADA General Manager.