Seeds and Plant Varieties Act, 2000.

This Act makes provision for the control on the quality of plant propagation material (in this Act “seed”) marketed in Swaziland and in particular provides rules for the production of and trade in seed, the recognition of certain plant varieties, the testing and certification of seed and the packing and labelling of seed. The Act also provides some rules relative to the exportation of seed.
The Registrar of Seeds, appointed under this Act, shall register premises of seed cleaners and seed traders in the Register of establishments. No business shall be carried out from a premises that is not registered. A seed prescribed by Regulation made under this Act shall not be sold for the purpose of cultivation unless it: (a) is of a variety which is entered in the variety list; (b) complies with the requirements prescribed in section 26 and has been tested for germination within a period of six months before it is intended to be sold; and (c) is either (i)prepacked or is packed in containers which comply with the prescribed requirements and are sealed and marked or (ii) labelled in the prescribed manner with the prescribed information.
Only varieties included in a variety list prescribed by the Minister may be placed on the market in Botswana. The Act defines the requirements for the recognition of a variety and inclusion in the variety list. As for the control of the quality of seed, the Minister may establish certification schemes and shall designate the Official Seed Testing Station for the purposes of this Act.