Bhubaneswar, September 29: Union Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday awarded the PRAMAAN Certificate under the Indian Forest & Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) to a bamboo farmer of Odisha.
The certificate was received by Gobinda Mahapatra, a bamboo farmer from Laxmiposi, Gobardhansul in Mayurbhanj district, and Karthick V IFS, Mission Director, Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA) in the presence of MoEFCC Secretary Tanmay Kumar IAS and Director General of Forests Sushil Kumar Awasthi and other senior officers.
The certification has been granted under the scope of Trees Outside Forests Management and Chain of Custody (TOFM-CoC), covering a certified area of 14.03 hectares across four plots in Gobardhansul and Ranibhol.
The certified bamboo species include Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa nutans and Dendrocalamus strictus, which are used commercially for construction and furniture. The certification process was audited by a NABCB-accredited certification body.
This achievement marks an important step towards strengthening Odisha’s farm-grown bamboo value chain. The certification assures buyers that the bamboo is legally and sustainably sourced, thereby enhancing market credibility and opening up opportunities in premium domestic and export markets for bamboo farmers.
The initiative was funded, coordinated and supported by the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency through IIFM, Bhopal. It reflects OBDA’s continued efforts to promote sustainable bamboo cultivation, improve farmer livelihoods and position Odisha as an emerging leader in the bamboo sector.
