China issues final Implementation Opinions for Crop Seed Certification

On September 6, 2023, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) jointly published the Implementation Opinions of SAMR and MARA on Carrying Out Crop Seed Certification (link in Chinese). The Opinions provide working mechanisms, implementation requirements, and supervision on crop seed certification. The Opinions clearly indicate that seed certification in China is voluntary rather than mandatory; however, seed certification is encouraged through certain incentives, such as reducing the frequency of supervision¹ for certified seed companies and crop seed certification agencies. Additionally, certified companies are given priority when applying for relevant major research and project construction tasks. Within the PRC, SAMR plays the leading role in seed certification and MARA provides technical support.

The final Opinions make only minor changes to the draft version, which was published for public comments in April 2023 (see GAIN Report Draft Implementation Opinions for Crop Seed Certification | CH2023-0072).

Continue to read the unofficial translation in USDA FAS' report.

Link to report: China: PRC Issues Final Implementation Opinions for Crop Seed Certification