A high-level delegation of Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) led by its Chief Executive Officer Mian Kashif Ashfaq Sunday left for the United States on week long visit to explore new markets and further strengthen bilateral trade ties with their counterparts.
Talking to media here today prior to his departure he said “American buyers prefer to buy value-priced and high quality finished goods for dining and bedroom, leather and fabric upholstery, occasional and youth furniture.”
There is vast scope to increase furniture export volume due to an upward trend, as the demand for furniture and wooden products are on the rise in the US and European markets along with the domestic consumers, he said.
Kashif said that opportunity is huge, but the sector needs a large number of skilled workers to meet the rising demand. “We are making special efforts to increase furniture export catering to the rising global demand,”he added.
The delegation will also learn about the latest products and technologies in their fields. Such business-oriented tours could play a pivotal role for Pakistani furniture manufacturers in achieving the export target of more than $1 billion annually in the international furniture markets, the PFC chief executive said.
He urged the government to immediately remove snags hampering furniture exports and take steps to curb sheesham wood smuggling in the garb of raw materials, besides awarding it a status of full-fledged industry.
Pakistan’s major buyers of wooden furniture are the UK, US, Sri Lanka and Gulf countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait, he said, adding that the US buys mostly bedroom furniture.The UK and Gulf countries import kitchen and office furnitures.
