Agricultural Seeds and Plant Act (Cap. 28).

This Act consists of 25 sections divided into 3 Parts: Interpretation (I); Administration (II); Offences, penalties and miscellaneous (III).
The Act regulates the production and placing on the market of seeds for agricultural, forestry and horticultural use (defined in sect. 1) and provides for the establishment of the National Seed industry Authority (sect. 2), a Variety Release Committee (sect. 4) and the National Seed Certification Service (sect. 6). The Authority shall advise the Government on a national seed administration and a seed policy, establish a system for implementing the policy, review seed supply and coordinate and monitor the public and private seed sector. The Committee shall be responsible for approving new varieties of seeds, to establish standards for seeds, maintain a national variety list and shall carry out other functions listed in section 5. The Service shall develop and enforce certification standards and carry out other functions listed in section 6. Section 7 provides for plant breeders’ rights, i.e. certification and inclusion of varieties in the national variety list by the Authority. Section 8 provides that there shall be recognised classes of seeds and that all seed producer shall be licensed annually after application to the Service. Also pursuant to section 8, the Minister may declare segregated areas for purposes of prohibiting planting or movement of any type of seed. Other provisions of this Act concern licensing of seeds conditioners, conditions for the exportation of seed, the establishment of a seed testing laboratory, establishment of phytosanitary practices and standards, labelling of seeds (sects. 9 -14). The Act also prescribes offences and penalties in sections 15 to 21, provides for the inspection of the Authority, specifies exemptions from provisions of this Act in sections 23 and 24 and defines regulation-making powers of the Minister in section 25.