Guidelines on the Production, Regulation, Promotion, Procurement and Distribution of Seeds and Planting Materials

April 18, 2006

DA ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 06-06

 

Pursuant to Sec. 17 of RA 7160 otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, the provision of the IRR of RA 7308 or National Seed Industry Development Act of 1992 and the need to rationalize the mechanisms in the provision of production inputs, the following guidelines on the production, regulation, promotion, procurement and distribution of seeds and planting materials are hereby promulgated:

SECTION 1. Policy Statements and Guiding Principles. —

The Department of Agriculture (DA) shall facilitate the availability of high quality seeds and planting materials through active collaboration with the Local Government Units (LGUs), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Private Growers/Producers (PG/Ps) and other stakeholders as well as establish linkages with users / buyers for sustainable development. Towards this end, the Department shall adhere to the following policies:

1. DA, through its Regional Field Units (RFUs), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Centers, DA Attached Agencies/Corporations, Bureaus, SUCs and Breeding Institutions (BIs) shall focus on the production of higher class of seeds such as breeder and foundation seeds.

There shall be a considerable quantity of breeder and foundation seeds that will be maintained by these institutions as reserve for use in foundation and registered seed multiplication.

2. Production of foundation and registered seeds and parent source tree seedlings of National Seed Inspection Commission (NSIC) approved/registered varieties/cultivars for foundation scion grove establishment shall be done primarily by the DA-RFUs, BPI Centers and Members of the SeedNet for Rice.

3. DA, through its RFUs, BPI Crop Centers and its outreach facilities and Rice SeedNet Members, shall produce and sell high quality seeds and planting materials of NSIC approved, registered and recommended varieties/cultivars of crops in areas that cannot be reached or catered by accredited Private and Public Seed Growers/Producers and Plant Nursery Operators.

4. Accredited private and public seed growers/producers/seed companies and plant nursery operators shall be the source of high quality seeds and planting materials for rehabilitation purposes while its distribution shall utilize existing rehabilitation schemes and modalities.

5. NSIC approved seeds and planting materials of new varieties and cultivars of agricultural crops shall be distributed in strategic areas for promotion purposes through technology demonstrations, utilizing existing counter-parting schemes.

6. Accreditation and certification systems for plant nursery operators and seed growers/producers shall be strictly implemented to ensure the production and distribution of high quality seeds and planting materials.

7. Private seed growers/producers companies, and government and private BIs are encouraged to discover, develop and propagate excellent indigenous planting materials for commercial production and distribution. THCASc

8. Importation of outstanding quality seeds and planting materials by private seed growers/producers/companies and government and private BIs for experimental and breeding purposes shall be encouraged and accorded with incentives and privileges prescribed in the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines.

SECTION 2. Objectives. —

The main objective of these Guidelines is to assure the stable and continuous supply of high quality seeds and planting materials which are affordable and accessible to farmers, growers and other stakeholders at all times.

SECTION 3. Scope and Coverage. —

These guidelines shall cover the production, distribution, promotion and quality control of seeds and planting materials of NSIC approved/registered varieties and cultivars.

SECTION 4. Production of Seeds and Planting Materials. —

The DA shall have the overall responsibility in directing and coordinating the activities of its RFUs, bureaus, attached agencies/corporations in implementing these guidelines. The following organizations shall perform the following functions/responsibilities:

1. DA-RFUs, SUCs, BPI centers and BIs shall maintain the production of considerable quantity of breeder seeds as reserve for foundation and registered seed multiplication. DA-RFUs, BPI Centers and Rice SeedNet Members shall handle the multiplication of foundation and registered seeds and parent source tree seedlings of NSIC approved/registered varieties/cultivars.

2. Accredited private seed growers/producers plant nursery operators and selected LGU nurseries shall be responsible in the production of certified seeds and good quality planting materials.

3. Established foundation groves/scion groves and seed gardens of DA-RFUs and BPI Centers shall be the source of seeds and budstick scion for distribution to accredited seed growers, plant nursery operators and orchardists.

4. Accredited seed growers/producers and plant nursery operators shall utilize the distributed seeds and scion/budsticks for the establishment of foundation/scion groves and seed gardens for commercial distribution and further propagation.

SECTION 5. Regulations. —

To ensure the availability of high quality planting materials and seeds at all times, the following activities governing regulation shall be strictly pursued:

1. Accreditation Procedures — DA through BPI shall accredit qualified seed growers/producers/seed companies and plant nursery operators, following existing accreditation procedures.

1.1 Accreditation of Seed Growers — The National Seed Quality Control Services (NSQCS) shall accredit seed grower and seed companies with the cooperation and coordination of Regional Seed Coordinators and Seed Inspectors for the production and distribution of breeder, foundation and registered sees in their respective regions (see AO. No. 18 and 19, Series of 2005)

1.2 Accreditation of Plant Nursery Operators — the BPI shall implement accreditation of plant nursery operators and its nurseries in coordination with designated Regional Plant Nursery Evaluators of DA-RFUs following the prescribed criteria and requirements stipulated in Memorandum Circular No. 6, Series of 1994.

2. Certification System — DA through the BPI, in consultation with various stakeholders shall strictly implement the certification system to ensure the production of high quality seeds and planting materials.

2.1 Seed Certification — The BPI-NSQCS shall have control and supervision over field inspection, certification and seed quality control services and seed testing laboratories to ensure the implementation of RA 7308 otherwise known as National Seed Industry Development Act (see RA 7308 and AO # 17, Series of 2005).

In areas where there is not enough manpower to handle seed certification activities, DA through BPI shall deputize personnel from DA-RFUs, bureaus, attached agencies/corporations to assist in seed certification activities and shall provide the needed training to upgrade skills to perform assigned tasks. It can also accredit reputable and competent SUCs to assist in the seed certification system of commodities they specialized.

2.2 Plant Material Certification — The BPI-NSQCS shall implement the certification process following the prescribed criteria and standards stipulated in Administrative Order No. 44, Series of 2000 and approved standards for specific crops. Deputized Plant Material Inspectors from DA-RFUs and Regional NSQCS staff will implement monitoring and evaluation following the certification process (see Administrative Order No. 44, Series of 2000). The certification process at present will be utilizing the morphological and physical traits in lieu of the characterization of varieties and cultivars based on genetic traits which has not been developed and set in place. acIHDA

3. Inventory System — DA through the BPI shall coordinate with RFUs, LGUs, PG/Ps and SUCs the conduct of quarterly inventory reports and publish the inventory of available planting materials and seeds by region and by province. BPI shall determine the additional information that will be needed in the conduct of the inventory on the varieties/cultivars, quantity and prices.

SECTION 6. Promotion Strategy. —

DA through AFIS/ITCAF shall be responsible for the development of seed and plant material promotion strategies and programs. This would include establishment of database and information system such as websites, catalogues, gazettes, and print media to disseminate information relative to sources, quantities, and prices of different seeds and plant materials available.

DA shall tap the RFUs, bureaus and attached agencies/corporations in the provision of information relative to the sources of seeds and plant materials for access by farmers/growers. They shall also be tasked to establish and maintain technology demonstration areas as show window for those newly NSIC approved crop varieties and cultivars.

SECTION 7. Procurement Procedures. —

The acquisition of seeds and planting materials shall be in accordance with the existing auditing and accounting rules and regulations as well as the Government Procurement Act (RA 9184) and AO No. 5, Series of 1999.

SECTION 8. Distribution Procedures. —

The distribution of seeds and planting materials shall be in accordance with DA AO No. 5, Series of 1999 (Amendment on Selling Price of Selected Plant Materials Contained in Administrative Order No. 6, Series of 1997).

SECTION 9. Monitoring and Evaluation. —

With the rationalization plan, DA-RFU will take the lead in coordination with attached commodity agencies (PCA, PhilRice, NTA, FIDA, SRA, CODA) the conduct of periodic monitoring and evaluation (M & E) of the various activities relative to the production, distribution, promotion and quality control of seeds and planting materials based on the established monitoring indicators. Monthly reports shall be submitted to the DA-Field Operations Service (DA-FOS) for information and monitoring purposes.

SECTION 10. Funding. —

The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of these guidelines shall be sourced out from the GMA Banner Programs Funds and/or from the Regular Funds of RFUs, Attached Agencies/Corporations and Bureaus under the DA.

SECTION 11. Penalty. —

Violations of the provisions of this Order shall be penalized in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.

SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. —

All existing issuances inconsistent with the order are hereby revoked or repealed accordingly.

SECTION 13. Effectivity. —

This Order shall take effect immediately.

 

(SGD.) DOMINGO F. PANGANIBANSecretary