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First PRAMAAN Certificates Issued Under IFWCS
Sustainable Forestry Meets Global Market Needs
Pooja Srivastava | Anytime News Network
: India has taken a significant step towards strengthening sustainable forest management and improving market access for forest-based products with the issuance of the country’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS).
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav presented the certificates at an event in New Delhi organised by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, the operating body for the scheme.
33,000 Hectares Certified
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) received certification for plantations covering 33,000 hectares. A farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA) was also awarded a certificate.
The plantations underwent detailed field-level and management audits before certification, marking the transition of IFWCS from policy design to implementation on the ground.
Linking Forests to Global Markets
Yadav described certification as an important tool for Indian producers, exporters and forest-based enterprises seeking to respond to emerging international regulatory requirements, including due-diligence norms for deforestation-free wood.
He said verifiable sustainability certification can help strengthen access to domestic and international markets while supporting sustainable forest management and tree-based systems outside forests.
Independent Verification
PRAMAAN’s forest management certification is based on principles under the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) 2023. The framework relies on independent audits by certification bodies accredited through the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) under the Quality Council of India.
This approach places third-party verification at the centre of certification rather than relying solely on self-declaration.
Livelihoods in Focus
The Minister also described certification as a livelihood-oriented initiative. By bringing small farmers, tribal and forest-dependent communities, women’s self-help groups and other tree-based producers into a structured and verifiable certification framework, the scheme seeks to create new pathways to compliant and premium markets.
PRAMAAN is designed as a national framework for certification of forests, timber and non-timber forest products, with the broader objective of connecting certified forest and agroforestry products with domestic and international markets.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen the social and ecological
India Opens New Chapter in Forest Certification
The initiative also seeks to strengthen the social and ecological value associated with India’s forests, agroforestry systems and wood-based industries.
