Key Details
The PRAMAAN certification framework was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in December 2023.
First Recipients: Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation for 33,000 hectares of plantations, and Govind Mohapatra, a farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency.
Assessment: The plantations underwent field and management audits. PRAMAAN certification relies on independent audits by certification bodies accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies.
Scope: Applications for forest management, trees outside forests and chain-of-custody certification are at various stages, according to the ministry. The Indian Institute of Forest Management operates the scheme.
Certification Moves Beyond the Framework
PRAMAAN provides a way to verify how forests, wood and non-timber forest products are managed and sourced. The first certificates show the process operating across large plantations and tree-based farming, rather than remaining a standard on paper.
For forest management certification, assessments use the Indian Forest Management Standard, which forms part of the National Working Plan Code 2023. Independent audits are intended to give buyers evidence beyond a producer’s own declaration of sustainable practices.
Market Access Is the Aim, Not Yet the Outcome
The government sees certification as a way for Indian producers and exporters to respond to growing demand for responsibly sourced, deforestation-free timber. PRAMAAN is also intended to create market opportunities for small farmers, forest-dependent communities and people working with non-timber forest products.
The first awards establish that certification can be completed. Their wider commercial value will depend on buyer acceptance and whether smaller producers can obtain certification at a workable cost.
Policy Relevance
The immediate policy test is reach. A certification system serving forest corporations may be easier to administer than one serving dispersed bamboo growers, agroforestry farmers and non-timber forest-product collectors. The Odisha certificate offers an early smallholder example; broader participation will depend on accessible audits and workable arrangements for producers who cannot bear certification costs alone.
For exporters, the separate test is whether PRAMAAN documentation satisfies the specific sourcing and due-diligence requirements of their buyers and destination markets. Domestic certification can support market access, but issuing a certificate does not itself secure it.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How will the scheme make independent certification accessible to small producers while demonstrating that its certificates meet buyers’ sourcing requirements?
Follow the Full Press Release Here: First PRAMAAN Certificates Under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme