Unilateral green trade measures such as deforestation-free regulations are reshaping market access for developing countries. Assess the role of India's national forest certification scheme (PRAMAAN) in responding to them.

The EU Deforestation Regulation (2023/1115) admits wood into the EU market only if it is deforestation-free, legal and backed by a due-diligence statement [1]. Proof of sustainability has become a condition of market access. India's response is PRAMAAN, the certificate under MoEFCC's Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS). The first PRAMAAN certificates were handed over on 29 September 2026 [2]. It is a necessary foundation, but not yet a sufficient passport to foreign markets.

What PRAMAAN offers

• Credible verification: independent third-party audits by bodies accredited by NABCB (under QCI) replace self-declaration [2].
• Strong standard: the Indian Forest Management Standard (8 criteria, 69 indicators, 254 verifiers) is built into the National Working Plan Code 2023 [3].
• Traceability: there are three tracks: Forest Management, Trees outside Forests and Chain of Custody. Together they trace produce from origin to point of sale [3].
• Wider supply base: the first certificates went to the Andhra Pradesh FDC (33,000 ha) and an Odisha bamboo farmer. This brings agroforestry into export chains [2].
• A normal route to recognition: PEFC covers about two-thirds of the world's certified forest area, and it works by endorsing national schemes [4].

Limitations

• Certificate ≠ compliance: under EUDR, the company placing wood on the EU market must still file its own due-diligence statement [1]. PRAMAAN is evidence for that check, not legal cover.
• Recognition gap: being "benchmarked against international frameworks" [2] is not the same as formal acceptance by PEFC or by regulators in buyer countries.
• Independence: the government writes the standard, runs the scheme through IIFM and chairs the governing council. State FDCs are also among the main applicants [3].
• Exclusion: the council has no seat for Gram Sabhas, NTFP collectors or civil society [3].
• Scale and cost: only two certificates have been issued nearly three years after the Dec 2023 launch [2]. Certificates last five years with annual surveillance audits, which weighs heavily on smallholders [3].
• Moving target: the EU's deforestation-free rule is a specific trade concern at the WTO's TBT (Technical Barriers to Trade) Committee [5].

Overall, PRAMAAN gives India a credible, home-grown tool to prove sustainability, but its trade value will depend on recognition and scale. India should seek PEFC endorsement and allow group certification through FPOs. It should also add community seats to the council and keep raising concerns about unilateral measures at the WTO. These steps would let India "not merely comply, but lead" [2], advancing SDG 15 and fair trade together.