Kiandee: Malaysian Agriculture and Horticulture Agrotourism Show’s use of online tech set to be a game changer

SERDANG, Aug 26 — The Malaysian Agriculture and Horticulture Agrotourism (MAHA) Show 2020 will be a game changer in the way that the industry organises future events.

According to Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, this year’s MAHA will be a hybrid event using virtual technology to achieve its goals of promoting agriculture to the masses.

“MAHA needs to adjust its programme in response to the current state of affairs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This year’s event will be a hybrid one with a combination of physical and virtual technology being used,” said Kiandee during the soft launch of the event today at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park in Serdang (MAEPS).

The theme of this year’s event is “Agriculture the Driver of Malaysian Economy”.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) is aiming to do business matching, showcase the latest technologies in agriculture, encourage youth participation in agriculture and attract corporate and industry players to participate in the event that will be held from November 26-29 at MAEPS.

“The virtual platform we’ve established is specifically made to fulfill the needs of businesses in the farming and food sectors.

“It will be able to handle local and international transactions,” Kiandee explained.

“All kinds of activities like talks, webinars, video conferencing and product promotions are planned and will be shown ‘live’ to give the public a feel and sense that they are present physically.”

There will be more than 500 exhibition halls with displays from the various ministries, government agencies and private companies, as well as seminars and conventions on agrofood and a farmers’ market with 70 lots selling fresh produce.

MAFI is hoping to attract 10,000 physical visitors per day and more than 100,000 virtual participants, added Kiandee.

“Based on our projections, we hope to generate more than RM300 million in sales,” he said.

MAHA is an annual event where new products in the agriculture industry as well as the latest technologies and methodologies are showcased.

Last year’s event generated RM215 million in sales and attracted 3.3 million visitors.