Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026 is stepping up efforts to attract more young Malaysians to the agri-food sector.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said MAHA 2026 aimed to highlight how technology, innovation, digitalisation and sustainable practices were transforming the industry.
“Through MAHA 2026, youth will be exposed to emerging opportunities across the agri-food value chain.”
He was speaking after a media tour for the event themed “Value creation for food security”, to be held at Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) in Selangor from Aug 28 to Sept 6.
Mohamad said MAHA 2026 offered youth a closer look at wide-ranging opportunities emerging across the agri-food value chain, from modern farming and food production to biotechnology, agritech, logistics, processing, marketing and entrepreneurship.
He said the event was expected to engage at least 800,000 youth out of an estimated four million or more domestic and international visitors in its 10-day run.
Students from colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education were encouraged to attend MAHA, he said, to gain a better understanding of the diverse career pathways available within the sector and the skills required
“With the right exposure, skills and opportunities, today’s students could become tomorrow’s farmers, food entrepreneurs and industry leaders,” he added.
MAHA is Malaysia’s largest and most important biennial agricultural event.
Mohamed said its agenda was to build a resilient, sustainable and future-ready food system.
This year’s event, he said, would host over 2,000 local and international exhibitors, and aimed for RM58mil in direct sales as well as RM8bil in potential investments.
Earlier, he visited Laman Sayur, Laman Nenas, Laman Veterinar and the Fisheries area where he released a freshwater Asian knifefish in a tank.
MAHA also features livestock breeders as well as players in the fishing and aquaculture industry, thus providing a one-stop venue to disseminate information to all stakeholders. Admission is free.
Present at the media tour were Mohamad’s deputy Datuk Chan Foong Hin, Agriculture and Food Security secretary-general Datuk Seri Isham Ishak, MAHA chief secretariat Datuk Dr Mohd Haniff Hassan and Agriculture and Food Security Ministry deputy secretary-general (development) Datuk Luqman Ahmad.
