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Letter / 30 June 2022

Open letter to the Indonesian Government concerning plant variety rights in the Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia

On behalf of almost 90 CSO's and networks including Both ENDS, IGJ has sent a letter to the Indonesian government about the free trade agreement with the European Union. In this agreement, the EU pushes Indonesia to align its plant variety protection laws with UPOV 91, which would threaten farmers' access to seeds, food souvereignty and agrobiodiversity. The main objective of UPOV91 is to further erode traditional seeds rights and to regulate local seed markets in the interest of internationally operating seed companies.
Including UPOV91 in this FTA means that Indonesia will have to change its policies, which will take away the farmers' rights to:

- breed, save and exchange all seeds and other planting material
- participate in decisions concerning seed improvement/ breeding, selection, quality standards, pricing, production, distribution and diversity
- customary practice especially in regard to indigenous seed
- be protected from being sold fake and inappropriate seed
- have a true choice between the use of certified and seed from fellow farmer managed seed systems

The joint organisations therefore call upon the Indonesian government to resist the ask of the EU to comply with UPOV 91.

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