16 May, 2019
Dehradun, 16th May: “Certification of bio-resources is a new concept and it will help in improving the economy of the people in the state. To ensure sustainability of bio-resources, three pillars of sustainability should be taken care of – environment, society and economy. This workshop is a major step towards certification and sustainable trade of bio-resources in Uttarakhand,”- Dr B.S. Burfal, Chief Guest (Ex-PCCF and Ex-Chairman of Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board) in his inaugural address.
Chief Guest Dr. B.S. Burfal addressing the gathering
Dr. Konrad, Director GIZ Biodiversity Programme giving his inaugural speech
A one-day capacity development workshop on Sustainable Trade of Bio-Resources and Associated Certification for Strengthening Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) was organised on 16th May 2019 at Hotel Ramada Plaza, Dehradun. The workshop was organised by Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board (UBB) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Other dignitaries present during the inaugural session were Dr. Konrad Uebelhoer, Director, Indo-German Biodiversity Programme (GIZ), Dr. Dhananjay Mohan (Chairman UBB), Mr. SS Rasaily (Member Secretary, UBB) and Dr. Rajinder Dobhal (Director, Uttarakhand State Council for Science & Technology).
Presenters from different government, private certification agencies and industries participated in the workshop. Other important participants included farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, researchers, NGO’s and representatives from government departments. The first technical session, focused on germplasm conservation, followed by sessions on sustainable trade and quality control standards for bio-resources (BR), Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFP) certification and FairWild standards.
In the second technical session, the participants were briefed about different organic certifications offered by the presenting certification agency. This was followed by a session on sustainable trade and certificate of origin of BRs, followed by an explanation of the certification process. Trainings for certification are now available at varying fees as well as free of cost, as per the client. Different schemes of the SMPB for the promotion and certification of medicinal plants were also discussed. In the last session, participants performed a group exercise which ended with a presentation of the challenges faced by farmers, traders, entrepreneurs and regulators.
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Farmer interacting with the expert during the workshop
The exercise clearly indicated the need for certification for trade (mainly export). It also makes trade more legal and helps the authorities to track the BRs. From the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) point of view, it helps to trace the origin of the bio-resource from where it is traded so, that the ABS money can be ploughed back to the community for the conservation of the resources. The workshop helped farmers and traders got a clear idea on where to get the registration and certification for their bio-resources. The workshop also helped in developing networks between the farmers, traders and certification agencies.
Moderators: Dr. Pradeep Mehta and Mr. Anil Joshi, Technical Experts, GIZ
First technical session
Second technical session
Workshop Participants included Dr. Saket Badola, Director TRAFFIC India, Mr. Kunal Satyarthi, Dr. KK Joshi (Director Animal Husbandry), and Dr. Vinod Bhatt (Executive Director Navdanya). A total 58 participants comprising of farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, researchers, NGO’s and representatives from government department participated in the workshop.
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