SHAH ALAM - The Selangor Pavillion at this year’s Agriculture, Horticulture, and Agro Tourism Exhibition (MAHA 2024) highlights various initiatives and products including the Plant Transformation Agro Selangor (Peta) aimed at advancing agricultural transformation.
Its state Infrastructure and Agriculture Committee chairman Ir Izham Hashim emphasised the state's focus on modernising its agriculture sector, particularly in high-value farming and food production.
"This event is significant as it showcases Selangor's ambition to modernise agriculture and focus on high-value production.
"Although MAHA 2024 is a federal programme, it is held in Selangor and with great effort its focused on exhibitions, discussions, and everything related to the agriculture and food industry,” he told Sinar Daily during a Fireside Chat interview session.
He said it was even more special as this year’s exhibition marks its 100th anniversary as one of Malaysia’s most significant agricultural events.
He said it was even more interesting that since it was now post-Covid-19 pandemic, attention has been placed more on food security.
He said although the event was held biennially, the post-pandemic context and centennial milestone make it particularly important, especially as the nation’s awareness around food security continues to grow.
Izham said that Selangor, despite being Malaysia's most advanced state and contributing 25.7 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has only about 2 per cent of that contribution coming from agriculture due to limited and valuable land.
He emphasised the need for modern farming techniques to justify land use, pointing out that with modern, high-value agriculture, small areas of land can yield much more than conventional methods, making it a more profitable and sustainable approach for the state.
"With modern farming and high-value crops, farmers can earn at least three times more than they would with conventional agriculture. Hence, that's why we're moving into that direction,” he said.
Izham also spoke on the importance of seed production, stressing that the pandemic exposed Malaysia's heavy reliance on imported seeds, which can jeopardise food security.
He said Selangor was focusing on developing its own high-quality seeds to reduce dependence on imports and improve agricultural outcomes.
Additionally, Izham said marketing was a major challenge for farmers. He pointed out that Selangor was leveraging its central position in the Klang Valley to improve product distribution.
He said the state was set to launch Pusat Lelongan Agro Selangor, the country’s first agricultural auction centre, which will help farmers sell their produce more effectively to a higher-income market in the region.
Themed "Harvesting Tomorrow Where Dreams Blossom”, MAHA 2024 is currently happening at MAEPS, Serdang until Sunday (Sept 22) and open to public.
The Selangor Pavillion will also feature the latest in smart farming and green technology, setting the direction for Malaysia’s agricultural future.
As the largest agricultural exhibition in Southeast Asia, it has become a must-attend event, promoting food security and aiming to attract young people to the agricultural sector.