Pakistani furniture demand increases in US, European markets

LAHORE: Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Chief Executive Officer Mian Kashif Ashfaq Sunday said the United States investors have shown keen interest in joint ventures with private sector in the furniture industry of Pakistan.

A PFC delegation led by its CEO is currently on weeklong visit to explore new markets and strengthen bilateral trade ties with their counterparts. According to a statement issued here Sunday, PFC was holding result-oriented meetings with their counterparts and they are interested to visit Pakistan and invest in furniture industry. He said 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. “We are making special efforts to increase furniture export catering to the rising global demand”, he said, adding that the delegation was also studying 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. 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. The US buys mostly bedroom furniture. The UK and Gulf countries import kitchen and office furniture.