Seed Production of Vegetable, Tuber and Spice Crops (2+1)

Certification agency

• The State Government or the Central Government in consultation with the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, establish a certification agency for the State to carry out the functions entrusted to the certification agency by or under this Act.
Grant of certificate by certification agency

1. Any person selling, keeping for sale, offering to sell, bartering or otherwise supplying any seed of any notified kind or variety may, if he desires to have such seed certified by the certification agency, apply to the certification agency for the grant of a certificate for the purpose.
2. Every application under sub-section (1) shall be made in such form, shall contain such particulars and shall be accompanied by such fees as may be prescribed.
3. On receipt of any such application for the grant of a certificate, the certification agency may, after such enquiry as it thinks fit and after satisfying itself that the seed to which the application relates conforms to the minimum limits of germination and purity specified for that seed under clause (a) of section 6, grant a certificate in such form and on such conditions as may be prescribed.
Revocation of certificate

• If the certification agency is satisfied, either on a reference made to it in this behalf or otherwise, that-
1. The certificate granted by it under section 9 has been obtained by misrepresentation as to an essential fact; or
2. The holder of the certificate has, without reasonable cause, failed to comply with the conditions subject to which the certificate has been granted or has contravened any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made there under;
• Then, without prejudice to any other penalty to which the holder of the certificate may be liable under this Act, the certification agency may, after giving the holder of the certificate an opportunity of showing cause, revoke the certificate.
Appeal

1. Any person aggrieved by a decision of a certification agency under section 9 or section 10, may, within thirty days from the date on which the decision is communicated to him and on payment of such fees as may be prescribed, prefer an appeal to such authority as may be specified by the State Government in this behalf:
2. Provided that the appellate authority may entertain an appeal after the expiry of the said period of thirty days if it is satisfied that the appellate was prevented by sufficient cause from filing the appeal in time.
3. On receipt of an appeal under sub-section (1), the appellate authority shall, after giving the appellant an opportunity of being heard, dispose of the appeal as expeditiously as possible.
4. Every order of the appellate authority under this section shall be final.