NEW DELHI — In a major milestone for sustainable timber sourcing and forest governance, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav handed over India’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS).
Organized by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal—the scheme’s operating agency—the certification marks the transition of IFWCS from a policy framework launched in December 2023 into active, field-level implementation across forest plantations and agroforestry systems.
Key Recipients & Compliance Benchmarks
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Institutional & Individual Beneficiaries: Certificates were awarded to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) covering 33,000 hectares of plantations, and to Govind Mohapatra, a bamboo farmer affiliated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA), following rigorous field and management audits.
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Global Market Alignment: Speaking at the event, Minister Bhupender Yadav highlighted PRAMAAN as a crucial instrument enabling Indian exporters and forest enterprises to satisfy emerging global trade norms regarding responsible, deforestation-free timber sourcing.
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Third-Party Accreditation Architecture: The certification process is anchored in the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) 2023 and requires independent third-party audits by bodies accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) under the Quality Council of India.
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Livelihood & Inclusive Economic Growth: Beyond international compliance, the initiative aims to connect rural and tribal communities, women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs), and marginal farmers engaged in agroforestry and non-timber forest products (NTFP) to premium domestic and global supply chains.
