Seed Certification is completed in Six phases

• Verification of source of the seed used for raising the seed crop.
• Receipt and scrutiny of application (Form-I).
• Field inspections to verify conformity to the prescribed field standards.
• Supervision at post-harvest stages including processing and packing.
• Seed sampling and analysis, including Genetic purity test in order to verify conformity to the prescribed seed standards and
• Grant of Certificate (Form-II) and issue certification tags, (White for F/S & Blue for C/S), tagging and sealing.
• Along with the FORM-I, the producer should also submit the following documents.
• Submission of Xerox copy of Pattadhar passbook attested by the Seed producer or Nodal Authority duly verifying the original document.
• In case of seed production land under lease, obtain a certificate from the land owner to the extent of land given to the farmer for seed production along with name of the farmer. The copy of the pattadhar passbook of the land owner duly attested by the Seed producer / Nodal Authority should be submitted
• Identity proof viz., Aadhar card or ration card or voter ID card.
• Seed tags of previous generation as source.
• Demand Draft drawn in favour of “the Member Secretary, APSSCA, Hyderabad”.
• Purchase bill.
• Form-II of previous generation.
• In a single application, maximum area that can be offered for certification is 25 acres only. Additional area will be treated as separate unit. The registered seed areas are allotted among the Seed Certification Officers by the divisional SSCO.
• The Seed Certification Officers conduct field inspections at vegetative, flowering and pre-harvesting stages in order to conform the seed plots meeting the prescribed field standards i.e. Isolation distance, Off-types, extent of area sown and yield estimation etc.,. The number of field inspections varies from 2 to 4 depending on the crop. Accordingly field inspection reports (FIRs) are raised in triplicate for each field inspection conducted.
• If the seed plot is not meeting the field standards, then the concerned seed plot is liable for rejection. The rejection orders are raised by the I/c SCO at field level.
• The concerned divisional officer & zonal officer conduct 10% & 5% check inspection of the registered area randomly in their respective division & zone. The Joint Director & SSCO (QC), O/o Directorate conduct 2% check inspection of the registered area in each division in the state.
• After certification of the seed plot (which meets the field standards), the seed producers / growers will move the seed lots to the Processing plants registered with APSSCA where processing is undertaken by the seed producers and submit the lot wise seed arrivals statements in the O/o SSCO.
• Then, based on the arrival statements & yield estimation reports of the SCOs; the Senior Seed Certification Officers / Technical Assistants will issue a Transfer Certificate in duplicate to the Seed producers duly indicating the lot Nos, place of production, crop, variety, class of seed, quantity obtained in a particular field.
• The SSCO will allot the seed processing units among the SCOs.
• After processing of the seed lots, the Seed Certification officer incharge of processing plant draws the seed samples in the seed sample bags supplied by the Authority for seed testing and Grow-out test wherever necessary.
• Three samples are drawn for each seed lot. One for STL analysis, one as guard sample and one for seed producer.
• The Seed Samples are sent to the Central Coding Cell at the Director’s office, which is under the control of SSCO(QC), DSCA.
• Coding of samples is done in the Central Coding cell and sent to Seed Testing Laboratories for seed testing analysis.
• In the Seed Testing Laboratory analysis for Physical Purity, Germination, ODV, Moisture will be taken up. After receipt of Seed Testing results from the seed testing lab, the Central Coding Cell will decode them and communicate to the concerned divisions for taking up further certification work.
• After getting of standard results for a particular lot, the concerned divisional SSCO will issue Seed certification tags based on packing size on which the details of the seed lots are laid out and are stitched to the seed containers.
• After packing of the seed lots, FORM-II i.e., Release Order (period of validity is 9 months from date of test) will be issued to the concerned seed producer for release of the seed lot to the market.
• On expiry of validity period of seed lot, the seed producer can offer for validation / Re-cleaning & validation for the same for STL analysis under the parameters Physical Purity and Germination. If got standard result, the validity period will be extended for further 6 months from the date of test.
• RECLEANING, RESAMPLING & RETESTING: The SSCOs were empowered to draw samples invariably from the seed lots which recorded reduction in germination upto 15% & CSCOs were empowered to draw from the seed lots recorded reduction in germination from 15 to 25% of standard germination.
• In case, if the seed lots record reduction in germination more than 25% of standard germination, the SSCOs must send the proposals to the Director, APSSCA through proper channel specifically justifying the reasons why the lots should allow by the Director for recleaning , resampling & retesting