Chhattisgarh Forest Department

NWFP Certification

• Documentation remains a weak area in the entire process. Therefore, continued documentation of the entire process is necessary.  

• The process of certification must be:  

• Independent  

• Transparent  

• Traceable  

• Involving local people.  

• The certifying agency should be registered as a non-profit making Society. This certifying body should be located in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. This society will have its own autonomous governing body. The members of the governing body will be elected by their own members. Regarding the funding, The group suggested that the initial funding may be made available from the MADP project, State or central Government, National Medicinal Plants Board and other donors for the initial period. This financial support may continue for a period of five years and later, the certifying agency would become financially sustainable by means of membership charges etc. 

• The agency will need man-power / staff. This staff will have to be trained in the certification process and will have to follow same standards recognized universally.  

• The standards must be in coherence with other standards. They should be in consonance with the global/international protocols.

• There has to be a mechanism for impartial and periodic auditing.  

• Chhattisgarh State Forest department and Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce (Trading and Development) Cooperative Federation Ltd., will act as a facilitator.  

• Chhattisgarh Minor Forest produce Federation will take care of the marketing aspects and also, be integrated with other technical, financial and administrative issues.  

• Devolution of powers should be done to the level of Forest protection Committees, Primary Forest Produce Cooperative societies, rural communities and their capacity should be developed.  

• Certification should be accredited and validated.  

• Chhattisgarh Government is aiming at getting certification for forest management. Product certification and certification of forest management are important.

• Marketing of the certified products is a specialized task and capacity building at all levels is necessary.  

• Market for certified products must be explored

Process of Certification

Recommendations - 

• Set up an autonomous independent certification agency. (Suggested name is CGCERT)*.  

• Certifiers like INDOCERT; NGOs etc can develop a plan and someone can come for inspections and stamp the certification of products.  

• Invite membership from willing parties to be associated with the NWFP certification programme.  

• Financial requirement for the process must be borne by an unbiased source to avoid any conflict of interests. 

• Services such as Laboratories facilities may be sourced from external agency through appropriate integration.  

• 'Operational Plans' for harvesting are sanctified but modalities must be set for implementing the same on the ground.

• So far we have the 'Working Plans' for management of timber. Similarly, there is a need for a separate criteria and indicators for managing non-wood forest produce.  

• The NGOs should be involved in the certification process. For this, there should be:  

• a strong participatory forest management (PFM) network  

• benefit sharing mechanisms  

• strong conservation based commercial use  

• capacity building of people  

• There will be a need for formulating local standards.

• Local people will have to be trained in these local standards.  

• Guidelines will have to be developed.

• Guidelines will have to be communicated to the various stakeholders and at village level, trainings will have to conducted for sensitizing the local communities regarding certification and the benefits accruing thereof.