KUALA LUMPUR: The 2022 Auditor General's Report found that the Large-Scale Smart Padi Field (SBB Smart) Programme on 150,000ha of land was underutilised.
Auditor General Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi said that the programme implemented in 2021 is to increase the average rice yield by seven metric tonnes per hectare.
However, the SBB SMART area was only developed by 11 of the 27 leading companies, equivalent to 40.7 per cent for Season 1 of the year 2021 and reached 1,611.82ha.
This is only 1.1 per cent compared to the target of 150,000ha.
In 2022, the developed area increased to 3,762.38ha compared to the target for Season 1 of 2022, an increase of only 2.5 per cent.
However, there is a decrease for Season 2 of 2022 which was reduced to 3,681.35ha.
"The average production of rice still does not reach the set target.
"Rice production is between 1.30 to 6.05 metric tonnes per hectare in Season 2 of 2021 and 0.42 to 5.66 metric tonnes per hectare in Season 1 of 2022," she said.