Mayurbhanj: Odisha’s bamboo sector has received national recognition with a bamboo farmer from Mayurbhanj district being awarded the PRAMAAN Certificate under the Indian Forest & Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS).
The certification has been granted under the Trees Outside Forests Management and Chain of Custody (TOFM-CoC) scope, covering a certified area of 14.03 hectares spread across four plots in Gobardhansul and Ranibhol in Mayurbhanj district.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav presented the certificate in the presence of MoEFCC Secretary Tanmay Kumar, Director General of Forests Sushil Kumar Awasthi and other senior officials.
Gobinda Mahapatra, a bamboo farmer from Laxmiposi under Gobardhansul, and Karthick V, Mission Director of the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA), received the certificate on behalf of the initiative.
The certified bamboo species include Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa nutans and Dendrocalamus strictus, which have significant commercial applications, particularly in construction and furniture manufacturing.
The certification process was audited by a certification body accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB).
The achievement is expected to strengthen Odisha’s farm-grown bamboo value chain by providing greater assurance to buyers that the bamboo is sourced legally and sustainably. It will also enhance the market credibility of Odisha-grown bamboo and create opportunities for farmers to access premium domestic and export markets.
The initiative was funded, coordinated and supported by the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency through the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal.
The certification reflects OBDA’s efforts to promote sustainable bamboo cultivation, improve the livelihoods of bamboo farmers and strengthen Odisha’s position in the country’s growing bamboo sector.