KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 – Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and the Malaysian Food Sovereignty Forum have submitted an international petition to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urging Malaysia to reconsider joining the UPOV 1991 Convention.
The petition, signed by 97 organisations worldwide, calls on the government to retain protections under the Protection of New Plant Varieties Act 2004. The groups warn that adopting UPOV 1991 could increase seed prices.
Weaken farmers’ rights to save and exchange seeds, and risk foreign dominance in Malaysia’s seed sector, potentially affecting national food sovereignty.
