KUALA LUMPUR NOV 27, 2006: Some 42 NDP members and aspiring local entrepreneurs and farmers who are currently in Kuala Lumpur to attend Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-tourism Show (Maha) 2006 will return home soon bringing with them fresh new know-how to progress in agriculture and agro-base industry.

While in KL they have an eye-opening visit to Maha 2006 expo that showcased various innovative technologies, new products and machineries that have transformed agriculture and agro-business into a dynamic and profitable sector in Malaysia.

Brunei farmers and entreprneurs arrived at KLIA airport

The Maha 2006, held at the new RM220 million Malaysia Agro-Exposition Park in Serdang, commenced since Nov 23 ands supposed to end Nov 26 but has been extended by another day until Nov 27 to give opportunity for visitors to attend the event.

The businessmen and farmers from Brunei were led by Haji Matzin Haji Salleh, a director of AgriDev Sdn Bhd cum the Head of NDP Agriculture and Agro-base Industry. While in Kuala Lumpur, they were guests to Malaysian company Warisan Baiduri Sdn Bhd with cooperation from Lembaga Pertubuhan Peladang.

At the opening ceremony, the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the exposition was organised so as to inject people’s awareness towards the agriculture sector as consumers or participants.

Also attending the opening ceremony was the Malaysian Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Business Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Themed Agriculture is Business, Maha 2006 features 976 booths including 279 foreign participation from 11 nations including Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, United Kingdom, Holland, Canada, China, India, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia.

Muhammad Adnan Bahari, a spokesperson of MAHA 2006 said the expo has exceeded the target number of visitors after only three days.

“In the first day, there were 120,000 visitors while on second and third day there were more than 200,000 visitors on each day. “We targeted 500,000 people to visit the exhibition but now it may even approach a million visitors,” he said.

He hoped other businessmen and farmers from Brunei to come to Serdang to visit the exhibition as there are many new products that has revolutionised the agriculture sector in Malaysia.

Apart from 5 exhibition halls, the event also has Agrobazaar, Malaysian Truly Asia Kitchen, seminars, livestock exhibition, arts and cultural performance, snake show, gardens, and agriculture machinery exhibition. The livestock exhibition features livestock competition and animal farms such as goat, deer, horse, cows, birds and rabbit.