Department of Research and Specialist Services

The PBR is to acknowledges the achievement of breeders of new plant varieties by making available to them an exclusive property right over a period not exceeding 25 years, based on a set of uniform and clearly defined principles. A variety to be protected should be distinct, uniform and stable. An example of a distinctiveness trait is shown in maize silks below.

Crop Registration and Inspection

All crop varieties for seed production must be registered with Seed Services. The authority carries out field inspections at vegetative, flowering and pre-harvest stages of the seed crop.

Certification Process…….

Sampling, Sealing and Seed Testing

Sampling and seed testing for purity and germination is conducted for the issuance of local and Orange International Certificates (OICs) to facilitate trade in quality seed.

Seed Licensing

Local certificates are issued for domestic seed trade while OICs are issued for international seed trade. All seed lots traded internationally are sampled and sealed by the Certifying Authority.

The seed certifying authority issues different types of licences to seed traders and carry out regular spot checks to manage compliance to seed quality standards. Licences issued include:

“A” (Laboratories) – for entities in seed production and marketing
“B” (Wholesalers) – may re-pack seed into different size packages
“C” (Retailers) – these must sell seed in original bags/ packages

“Certifying Agencies” –for companies involved in seed production

Post Control Evaluations

The objective of post control is to check the effectiveness of the Seed Certification Scheme in producing high quality and true-to-type seed.

The field evaluation is a monitoring tool to check the efficiency of the seed production process and in maintenance of variety purity from individual seed lots.