What makes vegetable seed quotes comparable?

Five things normalised across every supplier: Incoterm, packaging unit, seed count or weight basis, treatment specification and delivery window. Without them the quoted prices describe different products.

Do I have to name the variety in the RFQ?

No. Stating the crop, the required resistance package, the climate, the production system and the market specification is enough for suppliers to propose suitable varieties — and it often produces better options than naming one.

Who is responsible for import permits?

The buyer is responsible for import permits and variety registration in the destination country. The supplier is responsible for the phytosanitary certificate issued in the exporting country and for the accuracy of the lot documentation.

Does SeedMatchGroup supply seed?

No. It is a supplier-neutral, human-led sourcing platform: it does not produce, hold stock or resell seed, and buyers and suppliers do not communicate directly.

Procurement checklist

Vegetable seed RFQ checklist

A commercial vegetable seed request is comparable only when every supplier answers the same specification. This checklist lists the fields that specification needs, in the order they are normally decided.

Direct answer

What should a commercial vegetable seed RFQ contain?

A vegetable seed RFQ contains the crop and market specification, variety or hybrid type with the required resistance package, planted area and production system, quantity on a stated seed-count or weight basis, packaging unit, minimum germination and purity, seed treatment, certification and phytosanitary requirements, destination country, sowing date, delivery deadline and Incoterm. Quotes become comparable once the Incoterm, packaging unit, quantity basis, treatment and delivery window are identical across suppliers.

1. Crop and variety

Crop and market specificationGrade, size, shelf life and whether the produce goes to retail, wholesale, export or processing.
Variety or hybrid typeGreenhouse indeterminate, open-field determinate, processing type — plus the required resistance package for your recorded disease pressure.
Rootstock and graftingState whether grafted plants are planned; rootstock seed is ordered separately and often has a longer lead time.
Production systemSoil, substrate, hydroponic or nursery — it changes variety suitability and plant density.
Planted area and plant densityThe basis on which the seed quantity is calculated, so suppliers can sanity-check it.

2. Volume and packaging

Quantity per varietySeed count or weight. State which basis you are using — mixing the two is the most common cause of non-comparable offers.
Packaging unite.g. 1,000-seed cans, 5 kg bags. Packaging affects price per seed more than buyers expect.
PhasingWhether the full volume ships at once or against a sowing programme.

3. Quality and documentation

Minimum germinationState the minimum you will accept, and ask suppliers to quote the germination actually offered for the lot.
Minimum purityGenetic and physical purity, with the test method referenced.
Seed treatment or coatingUntreated, primed, pelleted, film-coated or fungicide-treated. Treatment must also be legal in the destination country.
Certificate of analysisPer lot, with lot and batch numbers and variety identification.
Phytosanitary requirementsPhytosanitary certificate, import permit and any pests the destination authority requires to be declared or tested for.
Variety registration statusConfirm the variety may legally be imported and grown in the destination country before the RFQ is issued.

4. Destination, delivery and commercial terms

Destination country, port and siteIncluding who clears customs.
Target sowing dateFix this first; the seed delivery deadline is derived from it.
Seed delivery deadlineThe latest acceptable arrival date, not the ideal one.
IncotermEvery supplier must quote the same one or the prices cannot be compared.
Payment and quote validityPayment terms requested, and how long the quotation must remain valid.
Samples and trialsWhether trial quantities are required before the commercial order.

Turn the checklist into a document

The RFQ document page builds the same fields into a structured request you can print, download or send for review.

Open the vegetable seed RFQ document Vegetable seed supplier sourcing

Questions

What makes vegetable seed quotes comparable?: Five things normalised across every supplier: Incoterm, packaging unit, seed count or weight basis, treatment specification and delivery window. Without them the quoted prices describe different products.
Do I have to name the variety in the RFQ?: No. Stating the crop, the required resistance package, the climate, the production system and the market specification is enough for suppliers to propose suitable varieties — and it often produces better options than naming one.
Who is responsible for import permits?: The buyer is responsible for import permits and variety registration in the destination country. The supplier is responsible for the phytosanitary certificate issued in the exporting country and for the accuracy of the lot documentation.
Does SeedMatchGroup supply seed?: No. It is a supplier-neutral, human-led sourcing platform: it does not produce, hold stock or resell seed, and buyers and suppliers do not communicate directly.

Continue

SeedMatchGroup is a supplier-neutral, human-led sourcing platform for commercial agricultural projects. It does not produce, hold stock or resell seed, and it is not a lender.