KUALA LUMPUR: The government should allow studies on benefits of ketum leaves as they hold high market value overseas.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said any move to ban studies on ketum would disadvantage the country.
He said allowing studies would expand the potential benefits of the leaves especially in medicine.
"Don't ban on the intake and research because if ketum is banned, we will suffer losses as other countries do not have this high-value plant.
"Ketum is part of the biodiversity...this plant has high value and it's easy to be planted," he told a press conference at the Parliament today.
He said this when asked on the possibility of ketum selling in the country, especially for medicinal purposes following the recent tabling of the Access to Biological Resources and Benefit Sharing Act 2017, which was passed in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The Act will serve to regulate activities relating to the country's biodiversity to generate the economy in the future, as well as preventing biopiracy.
Wan Junaidi also said the Act could control the country's biodiversity resources from being exploited by foreign scientists as the Act stated that those who were found guilty of offences would face a 10 years’ imprisonment or up to RM500,000 fine.
He said countries like Thailand and the United States were among the biggest importers of ketum leaves from Malaysia.
"I'm worried if these countries start their own research, they will get their studies patented. This is our resources. It's very difficult for other countries to find ketum leaves," he added.
However, he said, the Act disallowed ketum leaves to be commercialised as the matter was under the purview of the Home Ministry and Health Ministry.