India presses for removal of restrictions on trade of sheesham wood products

India has pressed for removal of restrictions on trade of products made of sheesham wood under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) saying it is available in abundance in the country.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has submitted a proposal to CITES for delisting of Dalbergia sissoo from Appendix-II of CITES, which restricts trade of items made of sheesham wood, said the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) in a statement.

In order to create awareness among opinion makers, foresters, diplomats and delegates attending the Conference of Parties 18 (CoP18) at Geneva, a panel discussion was organised on 'Dalbergia sissoo - Trees for Life and livelihood' on the sidelines of CoP18, it added.

Dalbergia genus (all species stand at around 200, including sheesham and rosewood) was enlisted in the Appendix-II of the CITES in 2016.

This, EPCH said, has resulted in the issuance of CITES permit by the Wild Life Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) or comparable document in lieu of CITES permit -- Vriksh Shipment Certificate by EPCH for exports of wooden handicrafts items made from Dalbergia sissoo and Dalbergia latifolia.

"The issuance of certificates include establishing of the chain of custody and legality of the procured wood by the exporters," said EPCH.

Items falling under Appendix-II are subject to trade restrictions to check over-utilisation.

"Based on non-detrimental finding (NDF) study carried out by Botanical Survey of India, Dalbergia sissoo does not fall into any threatened category and is available in abundance both in wild and cultivated populations and on the basis of these findings of NDF study, a proposal has been submitted by MoEFCC to CITES for delisting of Dalbergia sissoo from Appendix II of CITES," said Rakesh Kumar, director general, EPCH.

EPCH further said the proposal moved to delist one of the species of Dalbergia genus -- Dalbergia sissoo (sheesham) -- is in the interest of the artisans and farmers of the sub-continent along with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The 18th meeting of CoP of CITES is under way in Geneva which began on August 17 and will continue till August 28.

Exports of wooden handicrafts stood at Rs 5,424.91 crore during 2018-19, registering a growth of 27.13 per cent.