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First PRAMAAN Certificates Awarded Under IFWCS
First PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) are awarded, with the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal organising the event as the scheme’s operating agency. Certificates are given to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation for plantations covering 33,000 hectares, and to a bamboo farmer from Odisha associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency.
PRAMAAN Certificates:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Operating agency | The scheme is operated by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal. |
| Certification categories | IFWCS offers certification in categories: Forest Management, Tree Outside Forest Management, and Chain of Custody. |
| Assessment standard | Forest Management Certification assessment is conducted according to the Indian Forest Management Standard (IFMS). |
| Linkage with planning code | IFMS is part of the National Working Plan Code (NWPC), 2023. |
| Audit mechanism | Certification relies on independent third-party audits, and is not solely dependent on voluntary self-declaration. |
| Accreditation architecture | Certification bodies are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), which operates under the Quality Council of India (QCI). |
| Benchmarking | The accreditation architecture is benchmarked against international certification frameworks. |
| Acceptance focus | This approach provides for enhanced acceptance among domestic and international buyers and regulators. |
| Environmental significance | It promotes sustainable forest management, supports responsible and deforestation-free sourcing of timber, and enhances the ecological and social value of forests and agroforestry systems. |
| Economic and trade significance | It enables Indian producers to comply with emerging global sustainability and due diligence requirements, facilitates access to premium domestic and international markets, and strengthens sustainable forest-product supply chains in India. |
| Livelihood linkage | It integrates smallholder farmers, tribal communities, and forest-dependent populations into formal certification systems. |
| Potential beneficiaries | Potential beneficiaries include Women Self-Help Groups, marginal landholders, NTFP collectors/processors, agroforestry and tree-based farmers, and Farmer Producer Organisations/Companies. |