Over 30 Foreign Delegations To Participate 3-day 6th Interiors Pakistan Exhibition

Over 30 foreign delegations to participate 3-day 6th Interiors Pakistan Exhibition

ISLAMABAD, Nov 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 08th Nov, 2016 ) : Over 30 foreign delegations are participating in the Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) 3-day 6th Interiors Pakistan Exhibition going to be commenced from November 25 in Expo Centre Lahore.

In a statement issued here Tuesday, PFC Chief Executive Mian Muhammad Kashif Ashfaq said the essence of these exhibitions was promoting the furniture and associated products made in Pakistan at local and international level.

He said that delegations from China,Italy,United Kingdom, Turkey, Hong Kong,Thailand and, Bangkok have confirmed while more participation is also expected from other countries in the second week of the instant month.

The council expects that more than 50 leading local companies and interior designers will display their products while as many as 200,000 to 250,000 visitors to visit this mega exhibition. Interior's Pakistan is a step towards initiating international trade exhibitions and also to enhance the possibility to participate in international exhibitions as a collaborative industry from Pakistan.

The Pakistan furniture industry has a great potential in future and the council predicts that the increased exposure through Interiors Pakistan will highlight the skill and talent in the country.

This exhibition will also provide the younger designers and architects to see the market trends and display their own work alongside that of more established professionals. Talking about the philosophy behind these exhibitions, PFC chief Mian Kashif Ashfaq said "The vision behind Interiors Pakistan is to create a space for furniture display and promotion across the country.

The national exhibitions groom local producers to access the international markets and increase their potential markets," adding he said this exhibition will also provide the younger designers and architects to study the market trends.

He said the Pakistan furniture industry has the potential to be a substantial one at multiple levels as it can contribute significantly to the GDP and employ numerous people with varying skills in specialist furniture.

Despite its contribution to the Pakistani economy, furniture manufacturing suffers from lack of recognition at a political level, a concern PFC is addressing.

"PFC is also continuing its work to develop a Pakistani presence in more countries and to act as the focal point for Pakistani furniture designers and manufacturers to enter international market," however, adding he said it requires concerted efforts to ensure that raw material is available, skills are taught and quality control is achieved.

Pakistani craftsmen have the skill to create exquisite bespoke pieces but standardizing that production to meet the requirements of international markets requires input from the Pakistan Furniture Council.

Pakistan's wood industry is well developed and captures 95% of the country's total market for furniture. The country has more than 700 units of wooden furniture with Chiniot, Gujrat, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi being important centres.

The market is divided into home use and contract markets, constituting supplies to hotels, restaurants, offices and public facilities. The PFC Chief Executive said Pakistan imported furniture worth of Rs1.69 billion in 2015-16, which is a mere consumption of our hard earned foreign exchange.

Furthermore, import of furniture items could create a viable threat of unemployment in local furniture industry. He said more than 80 percent of the furniture demand in the country is met by the Chinioti furniture.

This industry, combined with the handicraft industry, is employing about 50,000 people. "If local industry expands, new opportunities of employment would be generated,"he added. He demanded immediate imposition of ban on import of furniture to provide new lease of life to this industry as well as fully exploit its potential for earning foreign exchange.

Chiniot in Pakistan is well known for its beautiful wood carved furniture and brass inlays. It is no surprise, therefore, that the city alone meets 80% of furniture demand in the country. With several medium/ large scale industrial units operative, the wooden furniture industry in Gujrat also produces world class furniture with immaculate finish.