MAHA 2026 Makes History After Surpassing Key Targets

SERDANG, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026 made history after achieving and surpassing most of the targets set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM).

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said MAHA 2026, which began on Aug 28, had recorded about 4.3 million visitors, including 1.7 million youths, as of yesterday.

“I am confident that by 10 pm tonight, visitor numbers will exceed five million, surpassing our initial target of four million. Meanwhile, exhibitor participation reached 2,000 local and international exhibitors from various countries,” he said.

He said this in his speech at the MAHA 2026 closing ceremony, officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) here today.

Mohamad said the exhibition also recorded RM66.88 million in sales, exceeding the target of RM58 million.

He added that memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed involving strategic collaborations and potential investments worth about RM10.3 billion, surpassing the RM8 billion target.

Mohamad said MAHA 2026 was not the end of efforts to strengthen the country’s agriculture sector, but marked a new push towards transforming the industry.

“Every agreement signed, technology partnership established and ideas generated throughout the exhibition must be followed up with swift action so that the benefits reach farmers, breeders, fishermen and consumers,” he said.

For future editions of MAHA, Mohamad hoped the platform would continue growing as a leading agri-food innovation hub in the region.

“We will continue efforts to attract greater youth participation and highly skilled talent into the agricultural ecosystem, in line with the goal of building a self-reliant, resilient nation with secure food supplies,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said the country’s agri-food trade deficit continued to narrow, recording a 26.4 per cent reduction up to May this year.

He said exports increased 8.1 per cent to RM58.8 billion, while imports declined 1.1 per cent to RM92.7 billion compared with the same period last year.

-- BERNAMA