Original Plant Seeds

I-INTRODUCTION

Imports of seeds of plant origin are subject to the control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Annex A of Decree n°93-313 and ECOWAS Regulation C/REG.4/05/2008.

Imports of Seeds of Plant Origin are governed by Decree n°63-457 of November 7, 1963 fixing the modalities of introduction and export of plants, plant products and other regulated articles likely to convey harmful organisms dangerous for crops.

In order to guarantee that the Plant Products or Products of Plant Origin imported in Côte d’Ivoire respect the phytosanitary requirements defined by the regulations and conventions in force, it is necessary to obtain for the approved persons a Preliminary Import Authorization (API) from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to import seeds.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Abidjan – Plateau

Immeuble CAISTAB, 24th and 25th floor

01 BP 12243 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire

Tel: (+225) 20 21 43 03

Website: http://www.agriculture.gouv.ci

 

Direction Générale des Productions et de la Sécurité Alimentaire

Direction des Productions Vivrières et de la Sécurité Alimentaire (DPVSA)

Sous-Direction des Semences et Intrants

Abidjan – Plateau

Immeuble CAISTAB, 5th floor

 

 

Direction de la Protection des Végétaux

Abidjan, Plateau

Immeuble CAISTAB, 8th floor

Email : minagri.cabinet@agriculture.gouv.ci / cabminagri@yahoo.fr

 

 

II-IMPORT APPROVAL

 

Only natural or legal persons having obtained an importer or exporter license from the Directorate of General Production of Food Security (DPVSA) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are authorised to import or export seeds of plant origin.

In addition, it is recalled that any importation into Côte d’Ivoire is subject to the obligation, for individuals as well as for legal entities, to have a permanent or temporary importer/exporter code – see General Importation Procedures tab of the site.

 

Procedure for obtaining an Approval

The following file is to be submitted to the Direction de la Production Vivrière et de la Sécurité Alimentaire (DPVSA):

  • A Request addressed to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
  • Fill in an Application Form (to be obtained from the DPVSA)
  • A photocopy of the National Identity Card or Residence Card of the person in charge of the company
  • Sign a commitment to respect the technical regulations as provided for in Article 58 of ECOWAS Regulation C/REG.4/05/2008 on the harmonisation of rules governing the Quality Control, Certification and Marketing of Plant Seeds within the ECOWAS area.
  • Photocopy of the Trade Register
  • A photocopy of the Tax Declaration of Existence – Cf. General Importation Procedures tab of the site)
  • Have a qualified Technical Staff with technical skills in storage, packaging and conservation)
  • Provide the list of commercialised Seeds and Plants (Catalogue)
  • To have appropriate installations and materials (adapted storage warehouse, scales, weighing scales etc)
  • Pay the Single Registration Fee: 100,000 F CFA / 3 years – Inter-ministerial Order n°252 MINAGRI/MPMEF/MPMB of 19 June 2014.

After receiving the application files, the Directorate of Food Production and Food Security (DPVSA) visits the sites and premises of the applicants.

Period of validity: 3 years.

 

 

The Approval, valid for 3 years, is sanctioned by the issuance of a Professional Card on the advice of the National Seed Committee (CONASEM).

 

 

III-DOCUMENTS

  1. Import Declaration Form (IDF)

 

The Import Declaration Form (IDF) – Cf. Example IDF – is compulsory if the FOB value of the goods exceeds Five hundred thousand (500,000) FCFA.

 

The IDF is established online via the transactional site of the Guichet Unique du Commerce Extérieur (GUCE). Access to the site requires prior registration as an importer, exporter or forwarder. The documents and information to be provided are as follows:

 

  • Importer Code (or Occasional Importer Code).
  • Pro forma or final invoice.
  • Mode of transport.
  • Name of the importer’s bank (in Côte d’Ivoire) (for direct debit and exchange authorisation).
  • HS Codes of the products to be imported.

For the importation of the products listed below, the IDF application will be validated after receipt online of a validated Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA), endorsed and signed online by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, after receipt of the physical file deposited by the freight forwarder or importer.

  1. Preliminary Import Authorisation (API)

The Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA) is necessary to obtain the Import Declaration Form (IDF).

In order to meet phytosanitary requirements, the importation of all plant products and products of plant origin is subject to a Preliminary Import Authorization (API) issued by the Direction de la Protection des Végétaux, du Contrôle et de la Qualité of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Cf. Decree n° 93.313 of 11 March 1993; Decree n°76.281 of 20 April 1976; Inter-ministerial Order n°93.38 of 12 March 1993; Regulation n° 007/2007/CM/WAEMU of 6 April 2007 on the Sanitary Safety of Plants, Animals and Food within the WAEMU & Decree n°63-457 of 7 November 1963.

 

 

Procedure for obtaining the API

 

The procedure described below is provisional, pending a procedure that will become entirely dematerialised through the GUCE electronic portal. The application is made through the portal of the Foreign Trade Window (GUCE) by the importer or the authorised forwarder:

 

STEP 1 – Start the Import Declaration Form (IDF) procedure on the GUCE website (see IDF procedure above).

 

STEP 2 – The system automatically generates an application for a Preliminary Import Authorisation, which must be sent to the Direction de la Protection des Végétaux, du Contrôle et de la Qualité of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

– The Pro-Forma Invoice can be downloaded

 

STEP 3 – Go to the Direction de la Protection des Végétaux of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with the following original documents:

 

 

  • A request addressed to the Direction de la Protection des Végétaux, du Contrôle et de la Qualité (with details of the use of the seed and the area in which the seed will be used).
  • A photocopy of the responsible person’s identity card or residence permit (for individuals).
  • A Pro-forma Invoice.
  • A completed Import Declaration Form [Cf. Import/Export Forms Seeds / Plants].
  • A Non-GMO certificate for the plant material to be imported.
  • A detailed Technical File of the plant material to be imported.
  • A Descriptive Sheet of the seed lot including the following details:
  • Address of the consignee or supplier.
  • Species and Varieties according to the national catalogue.
  • Category and generation.
  • Number of packages.
  • Unit weight of packages.
  • Label numbers (specifying the first and last digits).
  • Name of chemical seed treatment product.

 

Cost: Free of charge – (centralized at the level of GUCE by Decree n°2016.296 of 11 May 2016 and by Inter-ministerial Order 0005 MPMBE/MICOM/MSHP/MINADER of 30 December 2016 on the regulation of Certificates and Authorizations in Foreign Trade).

 

 

The agents of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development check the file and validate the API in the GUCE system.

 

 

The deadline for the validation of the API online by the Ministry of Agriculture is 120 h (5 days) maximum.

 

  1. Cargo Tracking Form (CTF) procedure

The exporter, the foreign forwarder and the importer must be registered in the CTF via the website of the Office Ivoirien des Chargeurs (OIC).

 

At embarkation

CTF registration – (see General Import Procedures tab on the website). The documents required are the following:

  • Final Invoice (or Valued Inventory for personal effects);
  • Bill of Lading (B/L);
  • Packing List;
  • Customs Export Declaration of the country of shipment of the goods;
  • Certificate of Local Insurance in Côte d’Ivoire;
  • The Import Declaration Form (IDF) or its number;
  • In addition, for imports from countries outside the European Union, the following are required:
    • The Freight Invoice.
    • The Certificate of Origin.

 

  1. Certificate of Value

As soon as the goods are loaded and all related transport documents are available (Final Commercial Invoice (in French), Bill of Lading or Air Waybill, Packing List, Freight Invoice, copy of IDF and all other available certificates), the freight forwarder must initiate a request for a Certificate of Value:

 

All goods with an FOB value greater than or equal to One (1) million F CFA must obtain a Final Classification and Value Report (FCVR) from the Directorate of Risk Analysis, Intelligence and Value (DARRV) of the Customs, via the electronic platform of the GUCE – Cf. Customs Circular No. 2007 of 29 March 2019.

 

The authorised forwarder downloads and fills in the Notice of Deposit (ND).

 

 

He attaches the documents accompanying the goods (see list above) to the deposit notice and uploads the entire file online on the GUCE platform.

 

 

The Directorate of Risk Analysis, Intelligence and Value (DARRV) of the Customs Department checks the shipping documents and delivers within 5 working days following the submission of the documents the Final Classification and Value Report by e-mail to the consignee or the forwarder.

Goods with an FOB value of less than one (1) million CFA francs and certain other products are exempt from the FCVR procedure – (see List of goods not subject to FCVR on the website www.douane.ci).

The freight forwarder fills out Form D41 and physically deposits it with the transport documents (see list above) at the Customs Department of Risk Analysis, Intelligence and Value (DARRV) for verification. After examining the file, the DARRV issues the Attestation of Verification (AV) – (See General Import Procedures tab on the site)

 

  1. Customs declaration

On arrival of the goods

The Customs Declaration must be made by a forwarder appointed by the importer and approved by Customs – [See List of Customs approved forwarders].

 

The forwarder enters the Declaration into the Customs computer system – SYDAM (Sydonia World). The documents to be submitted to the freight forwarder to make the Customs Declaration are the following:

  • Original Bill of Lading (B/L) for sea shipments or Air Waybill (AWB) for air shipments.
  • Original Supplier Invoice.
  • Certificate of Insurance.
  • Import Declaration Form (IDF) – via the GUCE website.
  • Freight Invoice.
  • Final Classification and Value Report (FCVR) if the FOB value is greater than or equal to one (1) million CFA francs or the Attestation of Value (AV) if the FOB value is less than one (1) million CFA francs or if the products are excluded from the FCVR procedure – (see list of goods not subject to the FCVR on the websites www.douane.ci and www.webbfontaine.ci)
  • The Packing List.
  • The Customs receipt if the method of payment of duties and taxes is cash.
  • The Cargo Tracking Form (CTF) issued by the Ivorian Shippers’ Office.
  • The WAEMU or ECOWAS Certificate of Origin if necessary.

 

  1. Authorisation to remove

This Authorisation for Removal allows importers to take their products out of the Port / Airport for Home Inspection.

It is issued by the Plant Health Inspection Services of the Port or Airport of Abidjan.

It concerns all Plant Products and Products of Plant Origin (rice, wheat, potatoes, onions, garlic, fruits, fresh or dry vegetables, tobacco; cans, vegetable oils) and Pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides etc.).

 

Procedure for issuing the Authorisation for Collection

 

Once the Customs Declaration has been made and the request for Phytosanitary Control has been issued, a Removal Authorisation (RA) – [See RA Model] – must be submitted to the Phytosanitary Inspection Services at the Port or Airport of Abidjan or at the borders for the declared goods.

Delivery time: maximum 1 hour

Validity period: linked to the operation

 

List of documents to be provided:

  • The Customs Declaration
  • The Transport Title
  • Request for Phytosanitary Control issued by the importer or his forwarder
  • The Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA)
  • Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the country of origin for the following products: unprocessed cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, tobacco, seeds and planting material, flowers and live plants.
  • The Non-GMO Certificate
  • Certificate of Origin
  • The Sanitary Certificate or Analysis for processed products of origin
  • For Pesticides: The Registration Order, the Distributor Approval or the Sales Authorisation, the Certificate of Analysis of the Pesticide and the Certificate of Origin.

Costs: See Inter-ministerial Order n° 2014.252/MINAGRI/MPMEF/MPMB of 19 June 2014):

 

  • Various other plant products and products of plant origin: 0.6 F CFA/Kg
  • Phytosanitary control at the Importation, Airport : 3.000 F CFA / file

 

 

  1. Phytosanitary Control Attestation

This Phytosanitary Import Control Certificate is issued by the Phytosanitary Inspection Services at the Port (located at the Guichet Unique du Port, Boulevard du Port, Abidjan) at the Airport and at the Land Borders.

These services depend on the Direction de la Protection des Végétaux, du Contrôle et de la Qualité of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Phytosanitary Import Control Certificate verifies the conformity of the product to the regulations in force in Côte d’Ivoire.

Delivery time: 24 hours to 10 days (if the goods require laboratory analysis).

Validity period: linked to the operation

 

The list of documents to be provided:

  • A copy of the Customs Declaration.
  • The Phytosanitary Control Request submitted by the exporter or his forwarding agent.
  • Non-GMO Certificate.
  • The Transport Title.
  • Results of Analysis for the products (in case of laboratory analysis).

 

 

Cost: Laboratory costs are to be paid by the importer.