Pursuant to Republic Act 7308, also known as the Seed Industry Development Act of 1992, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and for purposes of ensuring  and  providing  a  sustainable  and  adequate  supply  of  seeds  of  the desired quality, the following guidelines for accreditation of vegetable seed growers/producers are hereby promulgated.

Section 1. Coverage. This Circular shall govern the accreditation of an individual or  a  group  of  vegetable  seed  growers/producers.   The  individual  shall  be  a farmer, seed grower/producer or member of association/cooperative  while the group/institution shall be an association, cooperative, corporation, government institution, non-government organization or international organization.

Section  2.  Documentary  Requirements.  The  following  documentary requirements  must  be  complied  with  for  purposes  of  accreditation  under  this Circular. For documents requiring certified true copy, the applicant shall present the original copy for comparison  with the scanned or photocopy. If the scanned or photocopy is found to be a faithful reproduction, the same shall be stamped Verified from the Original.

2.1     For individual seed grower/producer:

2.1.1  Duly  accomplished  form  for Application  for Accreditation  as Seed Grower/Producer (BPI-NSQCS Revised Form No. 5)

2.1.2  Latest (6 months) colored 2” x 2” ID picture;

2.1.3  Proof of ownership/usufruct  over the production  area by submitting any of the following: (a) Proof of land ownership (Transfer Certificate of Title/Original Certificate of Title); (b) Lease contract valid for a minimum  of  3  years;  or  (c)  any  notarized  document(s)  showing authority  over  the  use  of  the  property  for  seed  production  for  a minimum of 3 years; and

2.1.4  Training   certificate   for   the   three   (3)   days   Basic   Training   on Vegetable Seed Production and Certification  conducted and issued by government agencies involved in the implementation of vegetable seed  production   and  certification   program   such  as  Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Department of     Agriculture-Regional     Field    Offices    (DA-RFOs)     Research Stations/Centers or the Institute of Plant Breeding-University of the Philippines  Los  Banos  (IPB-UPLB).The   training  for  accreditation must be coordinated with the BPI as the accreditation authority.

2.2   For  group/institution  such  as  seed  growers’/producers’  association/ cooperative, corporation, government institution, non-government organization and international organization:

2.2.1  Duly  accomplished  form  for Application  for Accreditation  as Seed
Grower/Producer (BPI-NSQCS Revised Form No. 5);

2.2.2 Certificate  of  registration  from  the  Cooperative  Development Authority (CDA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department  of Labor  and  Employment  (DOLE),  or Department  of Trade and Industry (DTI), whichever is applicable;

2.2.3  Special  Power  of  Attorney,  Special  Order,  Memorandum   Order, Board Resolution or other legal instrument authorizing the representative to transact business in behalf of the group/institution;

2.2.4 Latest (6 months) colored 2” x 2” ID picture of the authorized representative;

2.2.5  Proof of ownership/usufruct  over the production  area by submitting any of the following: (a) Proof of land ownership (Transfer Certificate of Title/Original Certificate of Title); (b) Lease contract valid for a minimum of 3 years); or (c) any notarized document(s) showing authority  over  the  use  of  the  property  for  seed  production  for  a minimum of 3 years;

2.2.6 Training certificate issued to the authorized representative  by government agencies such as ATI, BPI, DA-RFOs Research Stations/Canters  or the IPB-UPLB involved in the implementation  of vegetable seed production and certification program on 3-day Basic Training   on  Vegetable   Seed   Production   and  Certification.   The training for accreditation must be coordinated with the BPI as the accreditation authority. In case the authorized representative is replaced, the concerned seed grower/producer  must formally inform in writing the BPI-NSQCS within 10 working days. The replacement shall undergo the Basic Training on Vegetable Seed Production and Certification  within six (6) months upon notification  of replacement; and

2.2.7  For association/cooperative,  list of BPI accredited  members stating the  name,  accreditation   number,  residential  address,  production area and location. Only members of the association/cooperative  who are BPI accredited seed growers/producers  are qualified to produce seeds.

Section 3. Production Area

3.1    The Applicant must have a minimum area of 500 square meters for accreditation. Any expansion in areas should meet the requirements under Section 3.3 of this Circular within the accreditation period and shall be validated by the Deputized Seed Inspectors; recommended by the Chief of Regional/Satellite NSQCS, and approved by the Chief of NSQCS Central Office.

3.2     For association/cooperative,  the production area shall include the area of the individually accredited members and/or the association/cooperative managed area.

3.3    The production area shall have access to irrigation if precipitation is not sufficient, good drainage system, and with fertile soil.

3.4     An  applicant  must  own  or  have  access  to  post-harvest  equipment  and facilities  such  as  dryer,  seed  cleaner,  seed  bagger/closer,  storage,  and others.

Section 4. Procedure for Accreditation. The following steps shall be observed in the processing of applications for accreditation:

4.1     The  applicant  submits  the  documentary  requirements  under  Section  2 herein to the concerned NSQCS office for evaluation. Only application with complete documentary requirements submitted shall be processed. For vegetable seed growers/producers who will engage in seed production in different regions, they shall apply separately to the concerned region and undergo the procedure of accreditation in accordance with this Circular;

4.2     The concerned  NSQCS  personnel  or deputized  seed inspector  conducts area validation or ocular inspection and submits report to the concerned NSQCS office;

4.3    After validation, the Chief of the concerned NSQCS Office acts on the application.  Application  that  complies  with  the  requirements  under  this Circular  shall  be  concurred  and  endorsed  to  the  Regional  Executive Director  through  the  Regional  Seed  Coordinator.  Otherwise,  the application that failed to meet the requirements shall be returned to the applicant;

4.4     Upon receipt of the endorsement  of the Chief of the concerned  NSQCS Office, the Regional Executive Director through the Regional Seed Coordinator acts on the application. Application that complies with the requirements  under this Circular shall be concurred  and endorsed  to the BPI through the NSQCS. Otherwise, the application that failed to meet the requirements shall be returned to the concerned NSQCS Office;

4.5     The  accreditation   certificate   shall  be  issued  by  the  BPI  through  the
NSQCS; and

4.6     Decisions of the application shall be acted upon within one (1) month from the receipt of application to approval.

Section  5.  Accreditation  Fee.  Upon  filing  of  application  for  accreditation  or renewal of accreditation,  the applicant shall pay a non-refundable  accreditation fee of Php 500.00.

Section 6. Certificate of Accreditation. The Certificate of Accreditation shall be issued by the Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry upon compliance with this Circular.  It  shall  be  furnished  to:  (a)  applicant  (original  copy)  (b)  concerned Regional Executive Director (photocopy) and (c) Regional/Satellite National Seed Quality  Control  Services  (photocopy).  The  Certificate  of Accreditation  shall  be valid for three (3) years from date of approval.

Section 7. Non-transferability.  The accreditation is non-transferable.  However, in case of death of the accredited individual seed grower/producer,  only his/her seed sample(s)  that had already  been submitted  to the laboratory  for analysis before  his/her  death  is  eligible  for  certification.   The  result  of  analysis  and certification tags for the seed lot under process in the laboratory shall be issued under the name of the deceased  seed grower/producer  as represented  by the next of kin subject to the submission of the required documents such as certified true copy of marriage contract (if applicable), death certificate, birth certificate of the next of kin, and affidavit of undertakings.

Section 8. Renewal of Accreditation. The renewal of accreditation of seed grower/producer shall be based on the following:

8.1     Performance  of  the  accredited  seed  grower/producer  evaluated  before renewal of accreditation based on the following criteria:

8.1.1  Submission of seed samples from the accredited production area for analysis  for at least two (2) cropping  seasons  within the period of three (3) years; and

8.1.2 Total number of samples passing the applicable seed certification standards as against total number of samples submitted for analysis shall be at least 75%.

8.2     Payments of all fees to NSQCS before renewal of accreditation.

8.3     The applicant  or the authorized  representative  must have completed  the two  (2)  days  Retooling   Course   on  Vegetable   Seed   Production   and Certification conducted by agencies stipulated in Section 2.1.4 and coordinated  with  the  BPI,  at  applicant’s  expense  every  three  (3)  years before renewal of accreditation.

8.4     Applications  for  renewal  of  accreditation  must  be  filed  within  45  days
before  its expiration.  Applicants  who passed  the performance  evaluation may still file their applications within six (6) months after the expiration of accreditation  upon  compliance  with  the  requirements  for  renewal  under this Circular.  However,  applications  filed beyond six (6) months or fail to pass the performance evaluation shall be treated as new applications and the requirement for the three (3) days basic training shall be complied with.

Section 9. Cancellation  of Accreditation.  The accreditation shall be cancelled on the following grounds:

9.1     Fraud, dishonesty,  misdeclaration,  misrepresentation,  or false statements in the application for accreditation, renewal of accreditation or in seed certification documents; and

9.2   Tolerated use of certificate of accreditation by non-accredited seed grower/producer or misuse/abuse of the seed growers’/producers’ accreditation.

Section 10. Implementation. The implementation of this Circular shall be fully coordinated with the DA Regional Field Offices through the Regional Seed Coordinators, Chiefs of the National Seed Quality Control Services and the Deputized Seed Inspectors.

Section  11.  Transitory  Provision.  To  continuously  avail  of  the  certification process, government institutions currently producing vegetable seeds are given a maximum of six (6) months from the date of approval of this Circular to comply with the requirements for accreditation.

Section 12. Repealing Clause. This Circular shall supersede the pertinent provisions in Administrative Order No. 7, Series of 1996, Revised Criteria for the Accreditation of Seed Producers. All Administrative Orders, Circulars, and Implementing Rules and Regulations that are inconsistent with this Circular are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Section 13. Effectivity. This Circular shall take effect fifteen (15) days upon publication  in the official gazette or in two (2 newspapers  of general circulation and its filing with the National Administrative Register, U.P. Law Center.

Approved: