Seed

Maize seed for sowing, GM-free certified

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 1005 10 00 (Maize seed) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and non-GM origin cum GM-free certification requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with import Restricted under ITC (HS) policy condition 2 of Chapter 10 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) Phytosanitary Certificate clearance applies concurrently, and consignments must enter only through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

1005 10 00

Chapter

10 · Cereals

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk food, GM-free regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Phytosanitary Certificate from PPQS
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

PPQSPPQS·Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary regime

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Secure the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and ensure the exporting-country authority attests a non-GM origin cum GM-free certificate for every consignment dispatched on or after 1 March 2021. The attestation may appear directly on the Phytosanitary or Health Certificate provided it contains all information prescribed in the FSSAI order dated 21 August 2021; upload all documents in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry.
FSSAI order F.No.1-1764/FSSAI/Imports/2018(Part1) dated 03-12-2020 · FSSAI order dated 21-08-2021 · ITC (HS) policy condition 2 of Chapter 10
2
Upload the Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit. The proper officer must verify these mandatory uploads before granting out-of-charge; consignments processed through PGA-facilitated bills without PGA routing for NOC are subject to direct officer verification of all three document codes.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · General Note 4(D), Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022
3
Route the consignment exclusively through the designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Any labelling deficiencies permissible for rectification under FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 and the FSSAI orders of 22 May 2018 and 14 January 2019 must be corrected at the customs bonded warehouse using a single non-detachable sticker before visual inspection by the authorised officer.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023

A word of counsel

The single most common error on this tariff line is presenting a standard Phytosanitary Certificate without the non-GM origin cum GM-free attestation, treating the PPQS clearance as sufficient for the FSSAI overlay. Since 1 March 2021, the GM-free declaration is a separate mandatory element — its absence does not constitute a rectifiable labelling deficiency but a substantive non-compliance, triggering consignment detention and potential re-export; the attestation must originate from the competent authority of the exporting country, not from a private laboratory.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1005 10 00 require BIS certification?

No, maize seed falls entirely outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, alongside Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage Phytosanitary clearance and the DGFT Restricted-import policy condition 2 of Chapter 10.

Is the non-GM origin cum GM-free certificate required for all consignments or only certain origins?

The requirement applies to all consignments dispatched from any exporting country on or after 1 March 2021, per FSSAI order F.No.1-1764/FSSAI/Imports/2018(Part1) dated 03-12-2020; no country-of-origin exemption has been notified, and the attestation must contain all information specified in the FSSAI order dated 21 August 2021.

Can labelling defects on maize seed consignments be rectified at the port?

Yes, but only for the specific categories of rectifiable labelling information permitted under FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017, the FSSAI orders of 22 May 2018 and 14 January 2019, and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus; rectification must be performed at the customs bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker before the authorised officer's visual inspection, and a missing GM-free certificate is not a rectifiable defect.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / PPQS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.