Why You Must Go To MAHA 2016 @ MAEPS, Serdang
It is not every day that you can find a place that has entertainment, agriculture, horticulture, agro industrial vehicles, sustainable architecture, all types of farming animals – including one very large, muscular bull (he must’ve been to the gym religiously) and most importantly, food. Lots and lots of food.
Once you step in to MAHA 2016 at MAEPS, Serdang, none of these would be just “talk”. You can see them all, touch them all and also purchase them all. Even if you’re not a fan of agrotourism, you can still find something that might interest, or in some cases, blow you away.
I went there yesterday and even though I did not manage to cover the whole venue (it being so huge) but boy, was I glad I was there.
NAFAS Cube at MAHA 2016
Talking about sustainable architecture, I have always found the idea interesting. The cost are not too high if you have a small piece of land – preferably with good scenery – to set them up. Container hotels can look very pretty with the right type of landscape. And at NAFAS Cube, there are 7 container hotels, 10 tents and 10 culvert rooms. Even the tents here are not the usual sleep-on-the-floor tents. You will have beds for yourself, you know.
Since I have only stayed in a container hotel only once before, I could not make a comparison with the ones at NAFAS Cube. I do hope I would get the chance to stay here one day though.
I found out that NAFAS Cube is an idea by Malaysia’s own Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Dato Sri Shabery Cheek. He wanted something different for MAHA2016. So, with collaboration between NAFAS (National Farmers Organization) and MARDI (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute), NAFAS Cube was born.
NAFAS Cube was only set up 3 weeks ago so this is totally brand new, people!
I promise to review and write a more in-depth detail about it if I ever stay here. But so far, the landscape looks good, the set up (by the lake) makes it seem more peaceful and the food at the cafe, is absolutely delicious!
Agriculture at MAHA 2016
There are SO many things you can learn about Agriculture at MAHA 2016. It does not matter if you’re not a fan of agriculture. It may be a topic you can use for your essay exams in the future. Or, it may be something you can incorporate into your current business now. Whatever it is, agriculture is not just about farming and getting dirt in your shoes. It is a wider scope and at MAHA 2016, I get to open my eyes to that – and more.
Farming
There is a science to farming, instead of just using the old method – for example, ploughing the soil – these days. There are different machineries, industrial vehicles and more precise techniques to farm.
Prophet Muhammad SAW said, “If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift (sadaqah) for him.” – Imam Bukhari.
To grow food from the soil is a good deed, even a charitable one, but in our current lifestyle and living conditions, we need it to be done quick for the high volumes of consumption. Hence, the science comes into the picture.
Have you ever been to a real paddy field before? At MAHA2016, you not only get to take photos of it, you can even play football in it! You can find these at the Laman Padi BERNAS.
Oh, and there’s even a pictorial notebook for the kids in the form of Upin & Ipin teaching them about paddy and rice. What a great way to reach out to children, right?
There is the Pineapple Planet or Laman Nenas where you can find not only pineapples in the form of fruit and juices, but also in the form of paper!
Did you know you can make paper from pineapple leaves?
At Pineapple Planet, they show you how it’s done and they even sell the papers where you can write your name in khat calligraphy.
Industrial machineries
If you’re a fan of the big guys, then the Laman Jentera is your go-to place. You can find tractor, bulldozer, subsoiler and many more here. No more traditional way of ploughing. That, you can put it in the museum!
Livestock of many breeds
At Laman Ternakan, you can find many types of breeds of birds (chickens) of many sizes, cows and bulls, goats and many more. Here, you can find the famous attraction – muscular bull (lembu sado), that is truly large and bulky. I don’t know which gym he went to, I didn’t ask.
Some of the mixed-breed can give you high turnover, like the Shami goat where it can breed twice a year of a maximum 2 kid a year.
There’s also the Dairy Valley where you can get this type of ice cream (and more!) freshly made from fresh milk. Yum!
Fishes
Fishes are so underrated. I think sharks are great, as long as they don’t bite. At the MyDOF Valley or Laman Perikanan, you can learn about fishes, see skeletals of some sea mammals and eat some delicious Tuna Satay!
What caught my interest though is this Bio-Habitat. You can maintain a Tropical Forest right in your living room and directly from your phone app. How cool is that? If the temperature in your little forest is humid, there can be rain or fog. If you need your forest animal to be in breeding season, you can “trick” them by giving non stop rain. There is also thunderstorm for them. And all for as low as RM3800!
And then, you can have fun fishing!
Garden District
Both the Laman Herba and Laman Sayur is located in the Garden District. They are probably my favourite because there are flowers here, fruits here and also bur-fruited urena honey. It’s always nice to slurp the honey right from the bee-house.
The setting here is so pretty and relaxing, I didn’t want to leave the place. There’s even a little spa for massage (RM1/ minute), manicure and pedicure too. After many walks, you might want to massage your tired feet here.
Rhythm Of The Farmers #ROTF @ D’Lereng
According to Dato Sri Shabery Cheek, this could be the best venue for a concert in Malaysia. I wasn’t able to check out the concert that night, so I couldn’t tell if it is the best in comparison to other concerts I’ve been to. #ROTF is located near Lights Sensation.
However, the field is wide and since it is at an angle where the stage is at the bottom part, it would mean that everybody can watch the show, no matter if they’re near the stage or far at the back. Last night, #ROTF was entertained by Khalifah Band, Projektor Band and Man Bai. Tonight, visitors will be able to see Papa Rock Ramli Sarip and Ebiet G. Ade.
Win At MAHA 2016
Every day, there will be winners at MAHA 2016.
Yesterday, we met the 2,500,000th visitor who won about RM3000 worth of prizes. Every night, there will also be winners at the #ROTF. So, if you love to learn new things, you love music, you love to have fun and you love prizes, go to MAHA 2016 now!
Last day of MAHA 2016 is 11th December 2016, so reel your friends in too!
MAHA 2016 Was A Real Success
With 3.7 million visitors to MAHA 2016, you know it is a real success. Below are some photos from the event and a timelapse video of one of the places in MAHA that was swarming with visitors.
