Section 2: Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires- "agricultural value" means economic benefit expected from the production of a given crop; "basic seed" means seed produced from breeders seed under the control of the plant breeder or his or her agent; "Board" means the National Seed Board established under section 3; "breeders seed" means seed of a particular variety, produced by the breeder (owner) of the variety or his or her agent, under the plant breeder's supervision, which is the source of the initial and recurrent increase in seed production of a variety; "certified seed" means a class of seed produced under a certification programme from basic seed and can be of two generations; "certification service" means the National Seed Certification Service referred to in section 8; "check variety" means a local or exotic variety currently on the market with known genetic and agronomic characters that is used as a control variety in variety trials; "committee" means the National Seed Technical Committee established under section 6; "common catalogue" means the list of varieties that have been tested in more than one country and are eligible to be grown in those countries; "currency point" has the value assigned to it in the Schedule; "Director" means the Director responsible for Crop Resources in the Ministry; "imported seed" means seed of a prescribed variety imported by a registered seed merchant; "ISTA" means the International Seed Testing Association; "licenced seed testing laboratory" means a laboratory that is authorised to carry out official tests on the kinds of seed named in the licence issued by the National Seed Certification Service; "listed variety" means any variety that has been released by the National Variety Release Committee; "Minister" means the Minister responsible for agriculture; "Ministry" means the Ministry responsible for agriculture; "National Seed Testing Laboratory" means an official Government seed testing laboratory, which has been accredited to ISTA, and which is designated to carry out official seed tests and to issue official certificates; "National Variety List" means a list of varieties released by the National Variety Release Committee which are eligible for multiplication; "seed" means propagative material, plants and parts of plants intended for the propagation and multiplication of a variety; "seed analyst" means a person qualified and designated to analyse seed samples according to the regulations of ISTA; "seed conditioner" means a person engaged in the business of cleaning, treating or otherwise conditioning seeds intended for sale and who is licensed to do so; "seed dealer" means a person trading in seed and who is licensed to do so; "seed grower" means an individual or body that grows a crop intended to produce seed; "seed inspector" means a person licensed to inspect seed crops and seed; "seed merchant" means a person or organisation engaged in the business of seed production, conditioning and marketing, and who is licensed to do so; "seed sampler" means a person licensed to sample seed lots in accordance with regulations made under this Act; "species" means a group of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated; "standard seed" means any seed which is not grown under a certification program but which may enter the market in case of certified seed shortage and which meets the same laboratory seed testing standards as certified seed; "varietal name" means the name given to a specific variety by its breeder; "variety" means a population of plants which have common ancestors and which have certain characteristics and when reproduced sexually or asexually, retain their distinguishing characteristics; "variety release" means making available to the public, a variety for multiplication and use; "voluntary certification" means certification requested by a seed producer for any of the species in the regulations made under this Act.