54. (1) Where agricultural produce is distrained, the Tax Recovery Officer shall make such arrangement for the custody, watching, tending, cutting and gathering thereof, and the authority concerned shall bear such amount as the Tax Recovery Officer shall require in order to defray the cost of such arrangements.

(2) Subject to such conditions as may be imposed by the Tax Recovery Officer in this behalf, either in the order of attachment or in any subsequent order, the defaulter may tend, cut, gather and store the produce and do any other act necessary for maturing or preserving it and, if the defaulter fails to do all or any of such acts, any person appointed by the Tax Recovery Officer in this behalf may, subject to the like conditions, do all or any of such acts, and the costs incurred by such person shall be recoverable from the defaulter as if they were included in the certificate.

(3) Agricultural produce attached as a growing crop shall not be deemed to have ceased to be under attachment or to require re-attachment merely because it has been severed from the soil.

(4) Where an order for the attachment of a growing crop has been made at a considerable time before the crop is likely to be fit to be cut or gathered, the Tax Recovery Officer may suspend the execution of the order for such time as he thinks fit, and may, in his discretion, make a further order prohibiting the removal of the crop pending execution of the order of attachment.

(5) A growing crop which is not fit for storing shall not be attached under this rule within twenty days before the time at which it is likely to be fit to be cut or gathered.