PUTRAJAYA, Feb 16 — The Auditor-General (A-G) Year 2021 series 2 report found that the Food Security Fund Programme under the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package or Prihatin which cost RM190 million, did not achieve its intended target.

The Audit involved four agencies; Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), Farmers Organisation Authority (LP), Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPM) and the Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) that carried out six programmes involving 1,248 projects that failed to reach the intended target due to inefficiency of the coordination among them.

"Overall, based on the audit scope, it can be concluded that the management of the project is satisfactory with 78 per cent of the project having been successfully completed within the specified period.

"However, the outcome of the programme was not fully achieved because part of the project was still in the implementation phase/ had not been started until the end of 2021 which affects the production target.

"The programme management is less satisfactory from the aspect of procurement management and usage of equipment that affected the targeted recipient,” according to the report tabled by the A-G Datuk Seri Nik Azman Nik Abdul Majid at the National Audit Department headquarters here today.

The report added that all agencies did not meet the production target or recipient of the prescribed incentives during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the problems found is LKIM’s decision to propose the appointment of its subsidiary that does not have the capacity to operate has resulted in the procurement process for two projects coming to a halt and the project not being able to start until the end of the year

The failure to identify the implementation method for the Pasar Nelayan Mobile project has resulted in the project and two related projects still not commencing until the end of 2021.

"Sixteen types of equipment supplied by LPP, LPM and LKIM were not used.

"The overall value for the 15 types of unused equipment amounted to RM1.33 million while the value of the other equipment could not be determined because the procurement was done in bulk,” said the report.