Page 12 - MAEPS - JOURNEY THROUGH THE DECADE

Journey through the decade: An Agro-Wonderland Tale

B eginning of a

fruitful journey

DATUK MOHD ARIF OTHMAN
Former MAEPS Chief Executive Officer
(2008 - 2015)

t was a Herculean task – to to organise the nation’s largest agriculture
transform 130 hectares of showcase.
I research land into an agricultural In 2010, professionals were roped in as it was
showground. time to move into the next phase – monetising
Datuk Mohd Arif Othman, however, rose to and sustaining the venue.
the occasion as he laid the strong foundation of “MAEPS was envisioned to encourage the
MAEPS. innovation process in agriculture. Industry
In 2004, then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah players including entrepreneurs can gather,
Ahmad Badawi mooted the idea of MAEPS brainstorm and attend training as all this will
hosting the Malaysia Agriculture and ensure agriculture is a business that can be
Holticulture (MAHA) show. Arif and his team taken to a higher level,” Arif said.
were tasked to turn that dream into reality.
But he admitted it was no walk in the park.
The team was assigned to convert the Malaysia The opportunities
Agricultural Research and Development Institute
(MARDI) research area into roads, buildings and (at MAEPS)
showgrounds for MAHA 2006 and beyond. are endless!
With the help of UEM Builders Malaysia,
construction of MAEPS was completed within
seven months. Arif called it a ‘record time’ as it “These were the lessons my team and I learned
was the only project back then where thousands during our visits to Japan, France, United
of workers were involved in a single area. Kingdom and Australia where similar grounds
Arif, who was the former MARDI deputy exist.”
director-general before assuming the chief To Arif, MAEPS has the potential of becoming
executive officer’s post at MAEPS, said MAEPS a one-stop centre for locals and tourists to learn
was: about the Malaysian agriculture and agro-based
• to be the permanent venue for MAHA. industry.
• to promote policies and programmes by the “It’s about having a good balance of the
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry original function and incorporating other
Ministry. aspects. This is to ensure there is continuity and
• to support meetings, incentives, conferences for MAEPS to be profitable and sustainable.”
and exhibitions. “The opportunities are endless!”
MAHA 2006 was a huge success, according to
Arif, as the organiser drew some one million
visitors.
He added the experience was a learning
curve as he and his team started from scratch

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