National Forest Certification Committee or Maharaj Muthoo Committee

In Recent years, the Forest Certification has emerged as a voluntary market driven mechanism in support of the Sustainable Forest Management. The certification has its origin in the customer’s choice in favor of the products labeled to have been forest origin. So, the Certification and Eco-labeling are the new mantras to enhance the product positioning for a premium price on one hand and ensuring better forest management practices on the other hand.

In this context, the MOEF had constituted a National Working Group / Governing Body to frame the policy guidelines for forest certification for timber and Non-timber forest products. Initially the Government created three committees and later these committees were mixed up and a single ‘National Forest Certification Committee’ for the development of Certification Criteria, Certification Process and Accreditation Criteria & Process towards Forest Certification of timber, Non-timber Forest Products was created. The chairman of this committee was Prof. Maharaj Muthoo.