Audit: Pawah cattle breeding scheme fails to collect RM118,000 in govt revenue

KOTA BHARU: The Pawah Cattle Breeding Scheme managed by the Kelantan Veterinary Services Department (JPVNK) under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015) was not completed according to the agreement and as a result, an estimated revenue of RM118,000 could not be collected.

According to Auditor-General's Report (LKAN) 2020 on the Financial Statement of the State Government and State Agencies as well as the Compliance Audit of Kelantan State Departments/Agencies for 2020 released today, JPVNK has spent a total of RM1.18 million on the procurement of 449 Kedah/Kelantan cattle which have been distributed to farmers according to districts.

However, as of May 2021, only 331 farmers had managed to hand over the calves, while the remaining 118 farmers or 26.3 per cent have yet to do so to complete the agreement.

"The terms of the Cattle Breeding Scheme Agreement 2015 were not met fully, resulting in the estimated government revenue of RM118,000 yet to be collected," the report said.

According to the report, there were weaknesses in the implementation of the scheme, such as no delivery period for calves was stated in the terms of the agreement and poor monitoring by JPVNK.

"To ensure compliance with the rules and procedures of the Pawah Cattle Breeding Scheme, JPVNK needs to take action such as reviewing the agreement letter by including the condition that the calves from adult females should be handed over to the department.

"Besides that, there is a need to establish an integrated monitoring system at JPVNK and the district level to ensure more effective monitoring," the report said.

Meanwhile, the audit also found that Yayasan Islam Kelantan (YIK), the implementing agency to build a new building for Maahad Tahfiz Sains Nurul Hidayah, Tualang Tinggi in Pasir Puteh, had made a payment of RM789,928 before the contract document was signed.

According to the report, the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK) had channelled a total of RM4.69 million to YIK to fund the project worth RM3.58 million and an additional cost of RM1.11 million for infrastructure work.

"The audit found that the contract document should have been signed on Dec 21, 2016, which is within four months from the date the SST (acceptance letter) was issued on August 22, 2016.

"However, the contract was only signed on April 12, 2017. A further audit found that a total of RM789,928 in progress payments had been paid before the contract was signed," the report said.

As such, the report recommended that YIK should take remedial action to ensure that financial regulations are fully complied with and that contract documents are signed within the stipulated period.

-- BERNAMA