diff --git a/package/micropython/Config.in b/package/micropython/Config.in
index b5dc47279d..30161c8b70 100644
--- a/package/micropython/Config.in
+++ b/package/micropython/Config.in
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_MICROPYTHON
 	bool "micropython"
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
 	depends on !BR2_STATIC_LIBS
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_LIBFFI
 	help
 	  Micro Python is a lean and fast implementation of the Python
 	  3 programming language that is optimised to run on a
diff --git a/package/micropython/micropython.mk b/package/micropython/micropython.mk
index 41bd32099b..37c148da94 100644
--- a/package/micropython/micropython.mk
+++ b/package/micropython/micropython.mk
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ MICROPYTHON_SOURCE = micropython-$(MICROPYTHON_VERSION).tar.xz
 # and most of the copied code is not used in the unix build.
 MICROPYTHON_LICENSE = MIT, BSD-1-Clause, BSD-3-Clause, Zlib
 MICROPYTHON_LICENSE_FILES = LICENSE
-MICROPYTHON_DEPENDENCIES = host-pkgconf libffi host-python3
+MICROPYTHON_DEPENDENCIES = host-python3
 MICROPYTHON_CPE_ID_VENDOR = micropython
 
 # Use fallback implementation for exception handling on architectures that don't
@@ -36,6 +36,13 @@ MICROPYTHON_MAKE_OPTS += \
 	LDFLAGS_EXTRA="$(TARGET_LDFLAGS)" \
 	CWARN=
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_LIBFFI),y)
+MICROPYTHON_DEPENDENCIES += host-pkgconf libffi
+MICROPYTHON_MAKE_OPTS += MICROPY_PY_FFI=1
+else
+MICROPYTHON_MAKE_OPTS += MICROPY_PY_FFI=0
+endif
+
 define MICROPYTHON_BUILD_CMDS
 	$(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(@D)/mpy-cross
 	$(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(@D)/ports/unix \