Phytosanitary Certificate for Export Import of Agricultural Commodity

Phytosanitary certification is a process developed in response to the risks associated with increased agricultural trade protects the agricultural sector from harm resulting from pests, diseases and weeds.
Phytosanitary certificates are issued to indicate that consignments of plants, plant products or other regulated articles meet specified phytosanitary import requirements and are in conformity with the certifying statement of the appropriate model certificate. Phytosanitary certificates should only be issued for this purpose. Phytosanitary certificates may also be used for certain plant products that have been processed where such products, by their nature or that of their processing, have a potential for introducing regulated pests (e.g. wood, cotton). A phytosanitary certificate may also be required for other regulated articles where phytosanitary measures are technically justified (e.g. empty containers, vehicles, and organisms).
The phytosanitary certificate is an original document, or under specific circumstances is a certified copy issued by the NPPO of the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage (DPPQS) that accompanies the consignment and is presented to the relevant officials upon arrival in the importing country.
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is an intergovernmental treaty signed by over 180 countries, aiming to protect the world's plant resources from the spread and introduction of pests, and promoting safe trade. The IPCC is one of the "Three Sisters' recognised by the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement, along with the Codex Alimentarius Commission for food safety standards and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) for animal health standards.
The convention introduced International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) as its main tool to achieve its goals, making it the sole global standard setting organization for plant health.
ISPMs are standards adopted by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), which is the governing body of the IPCC. The first ISPM was adopted in 1993.
The system for the issuance of a Phytosanitary Certificate includes the components of legal authority, administrative and operational responsibilities, resources and infrastructure, documentation, communication and system review.
The IPCC states in its article V.1: "Each contracting party (Country) shall make arrangements for phytosanitary certification, with the objective of ensuring that exported plants, plant products and other regulated articles and consignments free from regulated pests."
The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of the exporting country has the sole authority to undertake phytosanitary certification and should establish a management system to deal with the legislative and administrative requirements.

Types of Phytosanitary Certificate for Export