Page 9 - MAEPS - Journey Through the Decade

Journey through the decade: An Agro-Wonderland Tale

H
ow it all started

TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN YASSIN
Home Affairs Minister
Former Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister (2004 – 2007)

he magical journey of MAEPS started slightly over a decade ago, with
the ultimate goal of hosting the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and
T Agrotourism (MAHA) show.
Hundreds of hours were spent conceptualising the venue as various stakeholders
involving every agency within the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry
played their part to transform the 130 hectares belonging to the Malaysian Agricultural
Research and Development Institute (MARDI) into an agricultural showground.
Views and insights of key personnel who played an instrumental role in shaping
MAEPS are featured in this book.
Leading the series of interviews is the man who gave birth to the idea of MAHA
having a permanent ground en route to the formation of MAEPS – then Agriculture
and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. This is his tale ...

MAHA was a big showcase of agricultural – the marketing and selling aspects as
products and has been around for well. The idea was for youths to embrace
decades, even during my younger days. the agriculture industry and become
Over the years, it became big and entrepreneurs.
needed a permanent ground. I was then The formation of MAEPS to what it
the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry is today was an exciting project. I had
Minister and decided we needed a proper a strong support team and we got the
venue to host MAHA. After numerous many stakeholders involved – from the
meetings and discussions, MAEPS was government agencies to associations
proposed as the venue. There was ample representing farmers, fishermen and the
space and it being on MARDI land, it only rest.
made plenty of sense to have such an MAEPS has evolved since
exhibition there. conceptualisation and should continue
I was glad that then Prime Minister Tun to evolve. We should see many more
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appreciated activities throughout the year.
agriculture and horticulture, so he saw MAEPS has plenty of potential and here
the potential of MAHA and MAEPS. We is where the management should foster
also received overwhelming support from closer working relationships with the
the private sector. private sector to further raise its profile.”
We were given a huge allocation and in
record time, the halls and showgrounds
were constructed, in time for MAHA 2008.
When I was the minister, my motto was
‘Agriculture is Business’. Agriculture is not
just about farming but the whole industry

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