COVERING THE HISTORICAL SCENES OF THE MUDA AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

A Look Back In The Past

Rice is one of the most important plant sources in world civilization. In the history of human progress, it has been shown that the era of modern agriculture has developed rapidly from ancient times until the advent of the millennium. As human beings who can bring good to all beings on this earth, the thriving sectors of Islamic civilization have many advantages that are very far and good from the West in the past. The development of civilization begins with the development of science that is used to help mankind in managing all affairs of life.

The changes that have taken place should be exemplified in the present, where society is currently experiencing instability from many sectors that manage life. One of the important sectors that are included in fulfilling the desires of every human being is the agricultural sector. In this case, agriculture has a major and important role to play in supporting other sectors of life. The change of time has shown that developments in the agricultural sector have come a long way with a variety of knowledge and the latest information.

Policy Changes

Following the fall in prices in the tin and rubber market in the twenties. The British colonial government has begun to take steps towards increasing local rice production. Prior to that, the government in the tin and rubber trade only made the British Colonial government prioritize importing rice rather than developing local paddy enterprises.

However, the agricultural sector has contributed to the foundation of the Malaysian economy in the post -independence era with a contribution to the country’s GDP of 46% in 1957. At that time, the economic activities of the population were more focused on agriculture and mining. The number of employees who entered this sector in 1966 was 80.3%.

From Policy to Project Implementation

Rice is a strategic commodity for the country because it is a staple food for almost all the people in Malaysia. At the same time this commodity is important to population stability and growth as consumers in particular spend a large portion of their income on buying rice.

Beginning in 1955 and continuing until several years after independence, rice sufficiency through local production has been the main policy of the government. In line with the policy, the government has launched several agricultural projects under the First Malaysia Plan (1965-1970), the largest of these projects is the Muda Irrigation Plan.

The initial proposal for the Muda Irrigation Project was put forward by the Federal Drainage and Irrigation Department in the 1950s. Between 1960 and 1964, the consulting firm Sir William Halcrow adng Partner (United Kingdom) was tasked with conducting a feasibility study on the implementation of the Muda Irrigation Project. The final report of the study was submitted to the government as well as the World Bank in early 1965.

As early as September 1964, the government had applied for a loan from the World Bank to finance part of the construction costs of the project with the rest being borne by the government itself. The World Bank completed a final evaluation of the proposed Muda Irrigation Project between February – March 1965. Subsequently on 16 November 1965 a loan of US $ 45 million was approved and an agreement was signed the following day. The loan came into effect on 1 February 1966.

Construction work began in April 1966. In the early 1970s, the first stage of irrigation was started on an area of ​​about 33,600 hectares for off-season crops. Irrigation to the remaining areas was implemented in four stages which were completed in 1974.

The Government’s policy has changed from simply producing enough rice to another policy to increase the fiber income and well-being of the farming community.

Muda Irrigation Plan Concept

Under the Muda Irrigation Plan, an irrigation and drainage system is provided in parts of the western mainland of Kedah and Perlis to enable paddy cultivation to be cultivated twice a year. The available water sources consist of rain that falls directly on the paddy fields, water that flows from natural rivers and water that is stagnant in the Muda and Pedu reservoirs. These water sources are integrated into one system to meet the needs for crops of both seasons.

The construction of two dams upstream of Sungai Muda and upstream of Sungai Pedu, which is about 80 km east of the project area, has formed the Muda and Pedu reservoirs. Water from Kolam Muda flows to Kolam Pedu through the Saiong Tunnel which is built underground for about 7.2 km. Water is released from the Pedu Dam to the Pedu River and flows through the Padang Terap River until it reaches Alator Pelubang. At Alator Pelubang the water flow is split into two channels, namely the Great North Canal and the Great South Canal. Water from this canal will enter the branch canals and into the secondary distribution canals before entering the paddy fields. Apart from that, drainage systems, farm roads, coastal ridges as well as various other related structures have also been built. The entire project has cost about $ 238 million.

Moments of MADA’s Birth

In the early stages of implementation, the Muda Irrigation Plan was a purely engineering project. The general perception at that time was that agriculture-based development would be triggered by itself with the basic facilities provided by the government. No careful planning was made to coordinate in detail the role to be played by several Drainage and Irrigation Departments as well as the Department of Agriculture.

In the middle of 1967, after the construction work had been going on for a year and a half, it was only then that the incompleteness of the initial planning was realized. As a result, an Office of the Project Equalizer Officer was established under the Ministry of Agriculture in August 1967 and administered in Kuala Lumpur. As this office could not function effectively, the administration of this office moved to Alor Star in 1969. However, the development program could not be planned and implemented properly as the executive power of the Equalizing Officer was limited due to differences in jurisdiction. between several State and Federal Departments. Meanwhile, both the Kedah and Perlis State Governments face difficulties in bearing development expenses as well as project operation and maintenance expenses.

Therefore, the government has decided to establish a statutory body to replace the Office of the Project Equalizer Officer. On 30 June 1970, the Muda Agricultural Development Authority was born under an emergency decree with the initial name of the Muda Agricultural Development Authority. The inauguration was done by the late Tun Hj. Abdul Razak Hussein as the Acting Prime Minister of Malaysia and Director of Gerakan in a ceremony at the Balai Besar Building, Alor Star, Kedah Darul Aman.

The establishment of MADA was approved by Parliament under Act 70, Muda Agricultural Development Authority Act, 1972. Under the Act, the duties of MADA have been outlined as follows :-

To develop, encourage, assist and undertake economic development projects in the Muda Area;

To plan and undertake in the Muda Area any Agricultural Development as allocated to it by the state authorities for the states of Kedah and Perlis;

Two main goals were formed by MADA, which were based on the humanitarian and commodity aspects. The goals are :-

Improving the well -being of a large number of villagers

Excess revenue for the needs of the State

Organisational structure

The main role played by MADA is to encourage, mobilize and unite farmers into a dynamic and progressive society. They are the ones who will trigger agricultural, economic and social development where there will always be a process of new needs and opportunities. The organizational structure of MADA has been established to combine administrative, engineering, agricultural and training services into one flexible management.

Integrated planning that combines expertise from within and outside the department has become a key practice to find consensus on determining the best program to implement. Through the Area Development concept, the Muda Area has been divided into 27 development localities whose supervision is handled through offices in four MADA districts. In each locality, a geraktani complex was established which also became the center of the movement of area farmers’ organizations.