Peer appraisal is the core of PGS-India: farmers inspect each other's fields, and the group decides on certification from what they find. For a Regional Council, the question is whether it was done properly, on time, and on the right form. This episode covers the rules in Chapter 5 of the Revised PGS-India Guidelines 2023.
The short version
- At least 3 peer appraisers for each inspection, and no reciprocal reviews.
- Format-9 is the peer appraisal worksheet; Format-10 is the RC's own inspection.
- Window for annual crops: 15 days after sowing to 15 days before harvest.
- Summary sheet due 7 days before harvest; the RC decides within 30 days.
Who Appraises, and On What
Fellow members appraise each other on Format-9; the RC's own inspection is separate, on Format-10.
Appraisal is done by fellow members of the same Local Group — neighbouring farmers who know the land and can see what happened during the season, not an external auditor visiting once. The group must have at least three peer appraisers, and the appraisal is recorded on Format-9, the peer inspection worksheet. The Regional Council's own physical inspection is a separate exercise on a separate form, Format-10.
Keep the two apart when reading a file. Format-9 is the group appraising its own members; Format-10 is the RC appraising the group. An RC inspection does not replace the group's peer appraisal, and a peer appraisal does not satisfy the RC's inspection quota.
Did you know?A group with no peer appraisal for more than 12 months can be sent back to the start of the conversion period.
The Window Is Not the Whole Season
Annual crops are appraised from 15 days after sowing to 15 days before harvest; plantation crops twice.
| Crop type | When appraisal happens |
|---|---|
| Annual crops | During crop growth — from 15 days after sowing to 15 days before harvest |
| Plantation crops | Two appraisals: one during flowering, another six months later |
| Renewal of certification | At least one appraisal a year, involving all the group's farmers |
An appraisal dated outside that window is the single most common reason a portal entry is refused, because the system checks the date against the crop's own calendar. The fix for a date that falls outside the valid range is covered in the appraisal date error guide.
From Field Visit to Certificate
Appraisal, Format-9, group decision, summary sheet, RC decision within 30 days, then the scope certificate.
each member's farm"] --> B["Format-9 filled
per farmer"] B --> C["Group decides
certification status"] C --> D["Summary sheet uploaded
7+ days before harvest"] D --> E["RC assesses and
endorses in 30 days"] E --> F["Scope certificate
issued"] E -->|"Incomplete"| G["Returned — group has
15 days to resubmit"]
What the Regional Council Checks
The RC checks the dates, the appraisers, the deadline, and whether the decision matches the worksheets.
- That the appraisal date falls inside the crop's window, and matches the sowing and harvest dates on record.
- That the group had enough appraisers, and that members did not simply appraise their own fields.
- That the summary sheet reaches the portal before the 7-day pre-harvest cut-off.
- That the decision the group reached matches what the worksheets actually record — a group forwarding incomplete appraisals, or a decision the appraisals do not support, is grounds for returning it.
- That declared yields arrive within 60 days of harvest, for approval within 15 days.
A group with no peer appraisal for more than 12 months faces the heaviest sanctions available to an RC — certification denied, the group downgraded, produce deleted from the website to block sale, or a reset to the start of conversion. Two seasons of silence suspends the group outright, and revival restarts it at PGS-Green-1.
Making Appraisals Hold Up
Fix the date from sowing, rotate appraisers, fill Format-9 in the field, and upload promptly.
- Fix the appraisal date from the sowing date at the start of the season, not from whenever the team is free.
- Rotate appraisers so no member is repeatedly appraised by the same neighbour, and no one appraises their own plot.
- Complete Format-9 in the field rather than reconstructing it afterwards — the RC is checking it against crop and land records that were filed independently.
- Upload the summary sheet as soon as the group has decided, while the pre-harvest window is still open.
The full timeline for every level is in Every PGS-India Deadline, and what happens when a group falls short is in the sanctions catalogue.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see whether you are right, and why.
Which form records the group's peer appraisal?
- Format-9
- Format-10
- Format-15
Format-10 is the RC's inspection; Format-15 is the RC's annual report.
Sowing was on 1 July and harvest is expected on 30 October. When can the appraisal take place?
- Any time in July
- 16 July to 15 October
- After harvest
From 15 days after sowing to 15 days before harvest.
Remember these things
- At least 3 appraisers per inspection; no reciprocal reviews.
- Keep inside the crop's window.
- Upload the summary sheet 7 days before harvest.
- The RC decides within 30 days.
An appraisal done on time and on the right form is one the RC can endorse without delay. KrushiFlow validates these fields and submits farmer records to the portal in bulk.