Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav handed over India’s first PRAMAAN forest certificates in New Delhi on 29 September 2026. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation received certification for plantations spread over 33,000 hectares, while bamboo farmer Govind Mohapatra linked to the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency received the second certificate. The awards mark the shift of the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) from a policy on paper to verified action in plantations and farms.
What Is Forest PRAMAAN Certification?
Forest PRAMAAN certification is India’s national label for wood and forest products grown and harvested in a legal and sustainable manner. PRAMAAN stands for Programme for Recognition and Accreditation of sustainable Management practices for Agroforestry And Natural forestry resources. It covers forests, farm trees, bamboo and the full supply chain.
Forest certification is a written assurance that a forest or tree plantation is managed in a responsible way. It checks three things together. The trees must be replanted or allowed to regrow, the rights of workers and local people must be protected, and the harvest must follow the law. When a product carries the PRAMAAN logo, a buyer can trace it back to a certified forest or farm.
The label applies to both timber and non-timber forest produce. Timber includes eucalyptus pulpwood, teak logs and bamboo poles. Non-timber produce includes items like honey, gum, medicinal plants and leaves collected from forests and farms. Certification confirms the origin, legality and sustainability of these products at the source.
Forest PRAMAAN Is Different From Jeevan Pramaan
The word Pramaan means proof in Hindi, so it is used in two separate systems. Forest PRAMAAN certifies trees, wood and bamboo under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Jeevan Pramaan is a separate digital life certificate for pensioners and has no link to forests or wood trade. Readers should look for the words forest, wood or IFWCS to identify the correct scheme.
Who Received the First PRAMAAN Certificates for Forest Products?
The Indian Institute of Forest Management in Bhopal organised the award event in New Delhi as the operating agency for the scheme. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav handed over the certificates in the presence of Environment Ministry Secretary Tanmay Kumar, Director General of Forests Sushil Kumar Awasthi, state forest officers, accredited auditors and industry members.
The first certificate went to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) for plantations spread over 33,000 hectares. The certified area mainly covers eucalyptus plantations raised outside recorded forest areas in divisions such as Satyavedu, Kavali, Nellore and Naidupeta. These plantations supply pulpwood and timber to paper and panel units. APFDC is now the first public agency in the country to earn the national forest certificate, after rigorous field and management audits of its planting, harvest and record systems.
The second certificate went to Govind Mohapatra, a bamboo farmer from Laxmiposi in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The farmer is supported by the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA). The certification covers 14.03 hectares across four plots in Gobardhansul and Ranibhol under the Trees Outside Forests Management and Chain of Custody scope. The certified bamboo species are Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa nutans and Dendrocalamus strictus, which are widely used in construction, furniture and handicrafts. Mission Director Karthick V received the certificate along with the farmer on behalf of the initiative.
What Is the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme?
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme on 11 December 2023. The scheme is voluntary and market based. It does not force any forest division or farmer to take certification. It offers a trusted Indian label to those who follow responsible practices and want better prices and market access in India and abroad.
The scheme works across the country on government land, private land, agroforestry plots and community land. It covers both timber and non-timber produce. The roots of the scheme lie in the National Working Plan Code 2023, which sets the scientific method for preparing working plans for forests. The Indian Forest Management Standard, with 8 criteria, 69 indicators and 254 verifiers, forms a part of this Code. A separate Trees Outside Forests Standard was added under the new scheme.
The institutional design keeps rule making, operation and audit in separate hands. The Indian Forest and Wood Certification Council (IFWCC) acts as the multi stakeholder advisory body. It approves standards and procedures and is chaired at the level of Additional Director General of Forests. The Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), set up in 1982 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, works as the scheme operating agency and runs day to day management. The National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) under the Quality Council of India (QCI) accredits independent certification bodies. These bodies conduct field checks and decide on certification through audits, not through self declaration by the applicant.
Three Types of Certification Under the Scheme
| Certification Type | What It Covers | Who Can Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Management Certification | Recorded forest areas and forest plantations managed under an approved working plan as per the National Working Plan Code 2023 | State forest departments, forest divisions, forest development corporations |
| Trees Outside Forests Management Certification | Trees grown outside recorded forests, such as farm bunds, block plantations, agroforestry plots, urban and rural trees | Individual farmers, farmer groups, Farmer Producer Organisations, industries with plantations |
| Chain of Custody Certification | Unbroken tracking of timber or non-timber produce from certified forest or farm to the final labelled product | Traders, saw millers, furniture makers, paper units, exporters and handicraft sellers |
Forest Management certification tests biodiversity care, soil and water care, forest health, productivity and social benefits. Trees Outside Forests certification uses 5 criteria, 22 indicators and 76 verifiers suited to farm conditions. Chain of Custody certification ensures that certified wood is not mixed with unknown wood during transport, storage and processing.
How Forest Certification Is Granted
The forest certification process starts with an application to an accredited certification body. The auditors first check documents such as working plans, land records, planting registers and harvest permits. They then visit the field to verify tree stock, replanting, worker safety, community use rights and protection of wildlife and water sources.
If gaps are found, the applicant must correct them within a fixed time. Only after a clean audit does the body issue the PRAMAAN certificate with a defined validity and annual checks. The accreditation system is aligned with global audit norms, so buyers in India and abroad can trust the result.
Why Does India Need Its Own Forest Certification?
For nearly two decades, Indian exporters depended on two foreign private systems for certified wood. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), set up in 1993 after the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and headquartered in Bonn, Germany, and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), set up in 1999 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, ran most audits in India. India also built its own Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests in 2015, which earned PEFC endorsement in 2019, while the FSC national standard for India was published in 2022. These routes were costly for small farmers and did not fully reflect Indian farm forestry and bamboo systems.
The global market has now made proof of sustainability a condition for entry. The European Union adopted the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products in 2023, commonly called EUDR. Under this law, wood, rubber, coffee, cocoa, soy, palm oil and cattle products placed in the EU market must be deforestation free after 31 December 2020, legally produced and backed by geolocation and due diligence records. Large and medium firms must comply from 30 December 2026. Indian wood furniture and handicraft exporters, who often source from many small workshops, face a heavy burden to prove traceability plot by plot.
Forest PRAMAAN addresses this gap from within India. It gives Indian growers a lower cost, locally audited certificate that records legal origin, sustainable harvest and chain of custody in one file. It helps exporters meet buyer checks on legality and deforestation free sourcing and helps domestic buyers choose green products with confidence. For farmers, the certificate can raise bargaining power, open links to paper mills and furniture brands, and secure better income from eucalyptus, agroforestry timber and bamboo.
The Way Forward for Certified Wood in India
The first two certificates show that both large plantations and small bamboo farms can clear the national bar. The Ministry has stated that several state forest departments, forest development corporations, farmer groups and wood based industries have already applied for Forest Management, Trees Outside Forests Management and Chain of Custody certificates. These cases are at different stages of audit.
The next task is scale and buyer trust. Wider use of group certification can bring small farmers under one certificate and share audit costs. Strong links with government buying, green building norms and export promotion can create steady demand for PRAMAAN labelled wood. Work on mutual recognition with global systems and clear mapping of plots will help Indian timber move smoothly through strict due diligence checks abroad while keeping forests, farm incomes and village jobs in balance.
Key Takeaways
- India issued its first PRAMAAN forest certificates on 29 September 2026 in New Delhi under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme.
- PRAMAAN stands for Programme for Recognition and Accreditation of sustainable Management practices for Agroforestry And Natural forestry resources.
- The Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation received certification for plantations covering 33,000 hectares.
- Bamboo farmer Govind Mohapatra linked to the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency received certification for 14.03 hectares in Mayurbhanj district.
- The Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme was launched on 11 December 2023 and offers Forest Management, Trees Outside Forests Management and Chain of Custody certification.
- The Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, set up in 1982, works as the scheme operating agency, while the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies accredits auditors.
