SERDANG: The Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (Maha) Exhibition 2024 has successfully achieved its target of three million visitors as of Wednesday, says Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
He said a motorcycle was awarded to one lucky visitor, marking the occasion of reaching the third millionth visitor.
“I anticipate that the total number of visitors to Maha this year will reach five million by the end of the weekend.
“To show our appreciation for the tremendous support from Malaysians, the ministry will present a Perodua Axia car to the five millionth visitor,” he said here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Mohamad earlier said the 12-day exhibition is expected to generate direct sales of RM40mil and a potential financial impact of RM600mil.
He also instructed the ministry to deploy all available assets, including buses, vans, trams and buggies, to facilitate smooth travel for the public.
He said sales of seeds and saplings from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) had also exceeded those from the previous Maha edition.
On another matter, Mohamad said the local intellectual property protection certificate for Musang King durian has been renewed for another 10 years by the Intellectual Property Corporation (MyIPO), stretching until March 12, 2034.
The renewal showed that the Musang King durian is a brand which belongs to Malaysia and cannot be used by other countries.
“We (Malaysia) have registered the Musang King durian as a special brand through MyIPO. (For) a period of 10 years, when you have patented it, it would be difficult for another country to use it,” he added.
The Musang King durian was first registered as an intellectual property under Geographical Indication (GI) on March 13, 2014.
The registration aims to recognise the reputation and exceptional quality of the king of fruits, a unique Malaysian fruit product that is now also loved globally.
“We sent about 40 metric tonnes of various types of fresh durian to China recently. I am sure that in the next durian season, we will produce thousands more tonnes to be exported to China,” he said.
