National Agricultural Seeds Act.

An Act to provide for the establishment of the National Agricultural Seed Council and various bodies under the control and supervision of the Council, to provide for the certification of agricultural seeds and otherwise regulate the trade in agricultural seeds. "Agricultural seeds" is defined in section 38. The Act consists of 39 sections divided into 5 Parts: Establishment, etc. of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (I); National Seed Service Unit and other bodies of the Council, etc. (II); Staff of the Council (II); Financial provisions (IV); Miscellaneous (V). The Council is established as a body corporate under section 1. The Council shall promote seed development and the seed industry in general and carry out the functions specified in section 3. The following bodies are established under the Council: the National Seed Service Unit, which shall be responsible for the certification and quality control of seeds (sect. 6); the Crop Variety Registration and Release Committee, which shall advise the Council on registration and release of crop varieties (sect. 7); the Seed Standards Committee, which shall make recommendations to the Council on seed standards (sect. 8), and the Seed Industry and Skill Development Committee, which shall advise the Council on seed industry development (sect. 9). The Council shall have five operating zones and for each zone there shall be a secretariat headed by a director (sect. 11). Trade in agricultural seeds of "any notified kind or variety" requires a seed certificate that may be obtained from the National Seed Service Unit (sect. 12). Section 14 concerns the genetic identity of certified seeds. Sections 15 to 20 provide for matters relative to trade in and placing on the market of seeds including importation and exportation of seeds and labelling of seeds. Sections 21 to 24 concern the production and collection of agricultural seeds. There shall be maintained a register of persons and organizations licensed to engage in seed production or marketing according to the classification specified in section 21.