He said the UPM board of trustees and he himself as the university’s chancellor were not consulted in advance regarding any proposed change to the university’s name.

“Therefore, I do not agree with the proposal,” said the Sultan at the 48th UPM convocation ceremony at UPM today, Bernama reported.

Sultan Sharafuddin, in his speech, said UPM’s name should be maintained because he had launched the Putra brand which means “Agriculture for the people”.

He said the name UPM is also in honour of the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj.

“I would like to remind those who do not understand history to read and examine historical facts before making any statements, especially regarding UPM,” he said.

On Thursday, agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu said a proposal to change UPM’s name back to its original name, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, would be submitted to the Cabinet for discussion.

Sultan Sharafuddin further recommended that UPM collaborate with other industry players in the agricultural sector to find ways to re-popularise the agricultural sector in the country, especially among the younger generation.

He said the community needs to be convinced that agriculture has potential and a bright future.