The word quarantine derives from the Italian word “quaranti giorni”, meaning ‘about fourty days’. After the Black Death arrived in Europe in 1347, observation and experience showed that the incubation time for the disease, from infection to the appearance of symptoms, was a little less than 40 days. Plant quarantine is defined as the legal enforcement of the measures aimed to prevent pests from spreading or to prevent them from multiplying further in case, they have already gained entry and have established in new restricted areas. The importance of imposing restrictions on the movement of pest-infested plants or plant materials from one country to another was realized by Ireland famine 1845, the late blight pathogen (Phytophthora infestans) introduced into Ireland from Central America resulted in almost total failure of the potato crop, the grapevine phylloxera was introduced into France from America around 1860, and the San Jose scale spread into the US in the latter part of the eighteenth century and caused severe damage. The first international plant protection convention (IPPC), the Phylloxera convention was signed at Berne on 3 November 1881 by five countries. This convention remained in force till 1951, when International Plant Protection Convention under FAO was established at Rome. This agreement was constituted with the purpose of securing common and effective action to prevent the introduction and spread of pests and diseases of plants and plant products. The first Quarantine Act in the US came into force on 1905, while India passed an act in 1914 entitled “Destructive Insect and Pests Act of 1914”. This was later supplemented by a more comprehensive act in 1917.

1. Plant Quarantine
and Phytosanitary
Certification

2. The word quarantine derives from the
Italian word “quaranti giorni”, meaning
‘about fourty days’. After the Black
Death arrived in Europe in 1347,
observation and experience showed that
the incubation time for the disease,
from infection to the appearance of
symptoms, was a little less than 40
days.

3. WHAT IS PLANT QUARANTINE?
It is defined as the legal enforcement of the measures aimed to prevent
pests from spreading or to prevent them from multiplying further in
case, they have already gained entry and have established in new
restricted areas.

4. IMPOSING OF RESTRICTIONS STARTED FROM

5. • The grapevine phylloxera was introduced into France from America
around 1860, and the San Jose scale spread into the US in the latter part
of the eighteenth century and caused severe damage.
• The first international plant protection convention (IPPC), the Phylloxera
convention was signed at Berne on 3 November 1881 by five countries.
• This convention remained in force till 1951, when International Plant
Protection Convention under FAO was established at Rome. This
agreement was constituted with the purpose of securing common and
effective action to prevent the introduction and spread of pests and
diseases of plants and plant products.

6. HISTORY OF PLANT QUARANTINE IN INDIA
 Destructive Insects and Pests Act, (DIP Act) was developed on February
3, 1914. Over the years the DIP Act was revised and amended several
times. However, it needs to be periodically reviewed and amended to
meet the growing requirements of liberalized trade under the WTO.
 Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, under the
ministry of Food and Agriculture were setup in 1946 and Plant
quarantine activity stared in 1946 with the initiation of plant
introduction scheme in the Botany Division at Indian Agricultural
Research Institute (IARI) New Delhi.

7. HISTORY OF PLANT QUARANTINE IN INDIA
 Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (DPPQS) started in October
1949 at Bombay seaport.
 First plant Quarantine and Fumigation station in India was formally inaugurated on
December 25, 1951.
 National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resource (NBPGR) was created in August, 1976.
 Division of Plant Quarantine was created in 1978, with Entomology, Plant Pathology
and Nematology sections.
 In October, 1988, the Plants, Fruits and seeds (Regulation of Import into India)
order, 1989 popularly known as PFS order came into force.
 Plant Quarantine Order came into existence on 2003.

8. NEED OF PLANT QUARANTINE
 To prevent the introduction and spread of exotic pests that are
destructive to the country by regulating the import of plants/ plant
products through policy and statutory measures.
 To support agricultural exports through credible export certification.
 To facilitate safe global trade in agriculture by assisting producers,
exporters and importers and by providing a technically
comprehensive and credible phytosanitary certification.

9. TYPES OF QUARANTINE
Rules and regulations issued prohibiting the movement of insects, weeds
and diseases from one state to another in India is called domestic
quarantine.
Rules and regulations issued prohibiting the movement of insects, weeds
and diseases from foreign countries is called International Quarantine.

10. PLANT QUARANTINE FACILITIES IN INDIA
• Plant Quarantine regulatory measures are operative through the "Destructive insects &
pests Act, 1914 (Act 2 of 1914)" in the country. The purpose and intent of this Act is to
prevent the introduction of any insect, fungus or other pest, which is or may be destructive
to crops.
• The import of agricultural commodities is presently regulated through the Plant
Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003 issued under DIP Act, 1914
incorporating the provisions of New Policy on Seed Development, 1988.
• Further, the significance of Plant Quarantine has increased in view of Globalisation and
liberalisation in International trade of plants and plant material in the wake of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement under WTO.

11. • The phytosanitary certification of agricultural commodities being
exported is also undertaken through the scheme as per International
Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), 1951.
• Further GOI has approved
1. NBPGR, New Delhi for quarantine processing of all germplasm including
transgenic planting material under exchange for research purposes.
2. Forest Research Institute, Dehradun for forest plants.
3. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata for ornamental plants to enforce
quarantine laws.

12. PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF DIP ACT
1. To prevent the introduction and spread of exotic pests that are
destructive to crops by regulating/restricting the import of
plants/plant products and
2. To facilitate safe global trade in agriculture by assisting the
producers and exporters by providing a technically competent and
reliable phytosanitary certificate system to meet the requirements
of trading partners.

13. MAJOR ACTIVITIES UNDER DIP ACT
 Inspection of imported agricultural commodities for preventing the introduction of
exotic pests and diseases inimical to Indian Fauna and Flora.
 Inspection of agricultural commodities meant for export as per the requirements of
importing countries under International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
 Detection of exotic pests and diseases already introduced for containing/
controlling them by adopting domestic quarantine regulations.
 Undertaking Post Entry Quarantine Inspection in respect of identified planting
materials.
 Conducting the Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) to finalise phytosanitary requirements for
import of plant/plant material.

14. AGENCIES INVOLVED IN PLANT QUARANTINE
• The authority to implement the quarantine rules and regulation formed under DIP Act
rest basically with the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (DPPQS),
under the ministry of Agriculture.
• The organization handles bulk import and export of seed and planting material for
commercial purposes.
Presently there are totally 35 different quarantine stations located
• 10 at Airports (Amritsar, Bombay, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi, Patna,
Tiruchuripally, Trivandrum, Varanasi),
• 9 at Seaports (Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Kolkata, Cochin, Nagapatnam, Rameshwaram,
Tuticorin, Vishakapatnam, Chennai) and
• 7 at Land Frontiers (Amritsar railway station, Attari-Wagha Border, Attari Railway
station, Bongaon- Benapol border, Gede Road railway station, Panitanki, Kalimpong).

15. INSPECTION PROCDURES IN QUARANTINE STATIONS
Visual inspection, X-ray test, washing test, Sedimentation test, Incubation test,
Grow out test, Serological methods:
(a) ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay)
(b) DIBA (Dot Immuno-binding Assay)
(c) ISEM (Immuno-sorbant Electron Micro Scopy)
(d) Latex agglutination test, Nucleic acid hybridization and Polymerase chain
reaction (PCR).

16. PLANT QUARANTINE METHODS
There are number of plant quarantine methods which are used separately or
collectively to prevent or retard the introduction and establishment of exotic pests and
pathogens. The components of plant quarantine activities are:
1. Complete embargoes:
It involves absolute prohibition or exclusion of
specified plants and plant products from a
country infected or infested with highly
destructive pests or diseases that could be
transmitted by the plant or plant products
under consideration and against which no
effective plant quarantine treatment can be
applied or is not available for application.

17. 2. Partial embargoes:
Partial embargoes, applying when a pest or disease of quarantine importance to an
importing country is known to occur only in well-defined area of the exporting country
and an effectively operating internal plant quarantine service exists that is able to contain
the pest or disease within this area.
3. Inspection and treatment at point of origin:
It involves the inspection and treatment of a given commodity when it originates from a
country where pest/disease of quarantine importance to importing country is known to
occur.
4. Inspection and certification at point of origin:
It involves pre-shipment inspection by the importing country in cooperation with
exporting country and certification in accordance with quarantine requirements of
importing country.

18. 5. Inspection at the point of entry:
It involves inspection of plant material immediately upon arrival at the prescribed port
of entry and if necessary subject to treatment before the same related.
6. Utilization of post entry plant quarantine facilities:
It involves growing of introduced plant propagating material under isolated or confined
conditions.

19. PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATION

20. A Phytosanitary Certificate is an official document required when shipping
regulated articles such as plants, plant products and other regulated articles
are traded internationally.
A Phyto certificate is an official document that is generated from the exporting
country's Department of horticulture, agriculture, food or water resources.
Phytosanitary certification is used to attest that consignments meet
phytosanitary (regarding plants) import requirements. Phytosanitary
certification contributes to the protection of plants, including cultivated and
uncultivated/unmanaged plants and wild flora (including aquatic plants),
habitats and ecosystems in the importing countries.
Phytosanitary certification is undertaken by an NPPO. A phytosanitary
certificate for export or for re-export can be issued only by a public officer who
is technically qualified and duly authorized by an NPPO.

21. • Phytosanitary certification also facilitates international trade in plants,
plant products and other regulated articles by providing an internationally
agreed document and related procedures.
• Article V.2(a) of the IPPC stipulates how phytosanitary certificates should be
issued.
• NPPOs shall use the model phytosanitary certificates of the IPPC.
• If the required phytosanitary information exceeds the space available on the
phytosanitary certificates, an attachment may be added with this
information. Phytosanitary certificates should accompany the consignment
or may be transmitted by mail or other means, or where agreed between
countries, NPPOs may use electronic phytosanitary certificates, using
standardized language, structure of the message and exchange protocols.

22. PURPOSE OF PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATE
The purpose of the PC is to indicate that the consignments of plants,
plant products and other regulated articles meet the specified
phytosanitary requirements of the importing country and are in
conformity with the certifying statement of the appropriate model
certificate.
It is an official document issued by the exporting country’s plant
protection authority to the importing countries plant protection authority.

23. TYPES OF PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATES
There are two types of certificates: a “phytosanitary certificate for
export” purposes and a “phytosanitary certificate for re-export”
purposes.
A phytosanitary certificate for export is usually issued by the NPPO of
the country of origin where the plants, plant products or regulated
articles were grown or processed. A phytosanitary certificate for export
may also be issued in certain re-export situations for plants, plant
products and other regulated articles originating in countries other than
the country of re-export if compliance with the phytosanitary import
requirements can be attested by the country of re-export (e.g. by
inspection).

24. A phytosanitary certificate for re-export is issued by the NPPO of the
country of re-export (a country where the commodity has not been grown or
processed) when the consignment has not been subjected to the risk of
infestation and complies with the phytosanitary import requirements of the
importing country, and the original phytosanitary certificate or a certified
copy is available. The phytosanitary certificate for re-export provides the
link to a phytosanitary certificate issued in a country of export and takes into
account any changes in phytosanitary status that may have occurred in the
country of re-export.

25. ELECTRONIC PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATES
Electronic phytosanitary certificates may be issued where accepted by the NPPO of the
importing country. When using electronic phytosanitary certificates NPPOs should
develop systems that generate certificates using standardized language, message
structure and exchange protocols.
Electronic phytosanitary certificates may be used subject to the following provisions: -
- The mode of issue, transmission and level of security is acceptable to the NPPO of
the importing country and if relevant to NPPOs of other countries involved.
- The information provided is consistent with the IPPC model phytosanitary certificates.
- The purpose of phytosanitary certification under the IPPC is realized.
- The identity of the issuing NPPO can be adequately established and authenticated.

26. Mode of transmission:
Phytosanitary certificates should accompany the consignments for which they have
been issued. Phytosanitary certificates may also be transmitted separately by mail or
other means if accepted by the NPPO of the importing country. In the case of
electronic phytosanitary certificates, they should be directly available to the relevant
NPPO officials. In all cases, phytosanitary certificates should be available to the NPPO
of the importing country upon the consignment’s arrival.
Replacement of phytosanitary certificates:
Phytosanitary certificates may be replaced at the request of an exporter for a
consignment for which a phytosanitary certificate has already been issued. This
should be done only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. damage to the phytosanitary
certificates issued; change of addresses, country of destination or points of entry;
missing or incorrect information) and should be carried out by the NPPO of the
country that issued the phytosanitary certificates being replaced.

27. CERTIFIED COPIES OF PHYTOSANITARY
CERTIFICATES
A certified copy is a copy of the original of the phytosanitary certificate that
is validated (stamped, dated and countersigned) by the NPPO indicating it is a
true representative copy of the original phytosanitary certificate. It may be
issued upon request by the exporter. It does not replace the original. Such
copies are used primarily for re-export purposes.

28. INVALID PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATES
Phytosanitary certificates are invalid if, for example, they have or they are: -
-incomplete or incorrect information
- false or misleading information
- conflicting or inconsistent information
- wording or information that is inconsistent with the model phytosanitary certificates
- information added by unauthorized persons
- unauthorized (not stamped, dated or countersigned) alterations or deletions
- an expired period of validity unless used as a certified copy for re-export
- illegible (e.g. badly written, damaged)
- non-certified copies
- transmitted through a mode of transfer unauthorized by the NPPO (for electronic phytosanitary certificates)
- phytosanitary certification of plants, plant products and other regulated articles prohibited for import.

29. Import requirements for the preparation and issuance of phytosanitary certificates:
Importing countries frequently specify import requirements that should be observed with respect
to the preparation and issuance of phytosanitary certificates. Examples of what an importing
country may require include: -
-that phytosanitary certificates be completed in a specific language or one of its listed languages
(however, countries are encouraged to accept one of the official languages of FAO, preferably
English)
- the period of time allowed for issuance after inspection or treatment and the period of time
between the issuance of phytosanitary certificates and the dispatch of the consignment from the
exporting country
- that phytosanitary certificates be completed by typing or if handwritten, be in legible capital
letters (where the language allows it).
- the units of measurement to be used in the description of the consignment and for other
declared quantities