(a) Any fruit, vegetable, or other plant product designated as a regulated article and grown in a country maintaining an official system of inspection for the purpose of determining whether such article is free from injurious plant diseases, injurious insect pests, and other plant pests shall be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate of inspection from the plant protection service of such country at the time of importation or offer for importation into the United States. Such certificate may cover more than one article and more than one container kept together during shipment and offer for importation.

(b) Any fruit, vegetable, seed, or other plant product designated as a regulated article which is accompanied by a valid phytosanitary certificate of inspection is subject to inspection by an inspector at the time of importation into the United States for the purpose of determining whether such article is free of injurious plant diseases, injurious insect pests, and other plant pests, and whether such article is otherwise eligible to be imported into the United States.

(c) Any fruit, vegetable, seed, or other plant product designated as a regulated article and grown in a country not maintaining an official system of inspection for the purpose of determining whether such article is free from injurious plant diseases, or injurious insect pests, and other plant pests shall be inspected by an inspector at the time of importation into the United States for the purpose of determining whether such article is free of such diseases and pests and whether such article is otherwise eligible to be imported into the United States.