Odisha’s farm-grown bamboo initiative achieved national recognition with the award of the PRAMAAN Certificate under the Indian Forest & Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS).
Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, presented the prestigious certificate in New Delhi in the presence of MoEFCC Secretary Tanmay Kumar, IAS, and Director General of Forests Sushil Kumar Awasthi, IFS.
The recognition was jointly received by Gobinda Mahapatra, a bamboo cultivator from Laxmiposi, Gobardhansul in Mayurbhanj district, and Karthick V, IFS, Mission Director of the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA).
Granted under the Trees Outside Forests Management and Chain of Custody (TOFM-CoC) framework, the certification covers 14.03 hectares across four plots in Gobardhansul and Ranibhol.
The audit, conducted by a Quality Council of India (NABCB) accredited body, certified commercial bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa nutans, and Dendrocalamus strictus, which are widely utilised in construction and furniture manufacturing.
Supported and funded by OBDA in technical collaboration with the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, the certification guarantees that the timber is legally and sustainably harvested.
The PRAMAAN certification provides crucial market validation, assuring institutional buyers of ethical sourcing practices.
