India joins PEFC

India has become the latest country to join the list of 40 countries that have their national forest certification systems recognized by PEFC.

With the recognition of Japan, China and Indonesia in 2014, the Indian organization Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests  (NCCF) represents a further boost for the growth of the PEFC system in the Asian region.

According to Ben Gunneberg , Director General of PEFC International: “NCCF has worked hard over the past year to engage stakeholders and establish its position to facilitate the development of India’s forest certification system.” “Forest certification will help raise awareness of the benefits of responsibly sourced timber, which is especially important in a country with a rapidly growing middle class and high demand for resources,” Gunneberg added.

For his part, Sachin Raj Jain, NCCF Coordinator, expressed his gratitude to the Organization: “We appreciate the support that PEFC has offered us so far and we are committed to further strengthening our efforts in developing our own national certification system.”

India has approximately 40 million hectares of forest area, 25% of its total area.