Seed Act (No. 5553).

This Act aims at increasing plant production and improving quality of plants and plant products. It lays down rules governing: seed production and trade; registration of plant varieties; granting of production permits; registration of genetic resources. As regards registration, the Act establishes that rehabilitated varieties shall be registered according to their uniformity or biological and technological characteristics, whereas genetic resources shall be registered in terms of morphological or molecular characteristics. Only registered seeds are allowed for production and trading. Lists of registered and recommended varieties are published in the periodic bulletin, which also lays down the list of deleted varieties. Registration is not required for varieties that are imported and produced for export purposes. The Union of Turkish Seed Producers will be set up to facilitate cooperation among producers and their organizations. The latter are the vocational agencies where all individuals and companies or institutions involved in seed production are obliged to join in. Administrative details and functions of both the Union and organizations are given in the Law.