Furniture exports stack up on demand from Europe
© Asif Khan - Daily Times
"There is no competition between the standards offered by Pakistan and India in this non-traditional sector," said Muhammad Sultan, a furniture exporter and chief executive officer of Sultan Wood Industries. "The finishing of Pakistani furniture is much better than India and this is the reason why the European countries prefer to buy Pakistani furniture," he said.
The furniture exported by Pakistan is usually made by rosewood and metals, however, some products are also made from walnut wood, said Mr. Sultan.
The country earned $5.2 million by exporting furniture during July-May 2001-02.
The United States and Europe are the major export markets for Pakistani furniture.
"Some exporters have relatives in London and other big cities of Europe and they help them get export orders," said Malik Khalid Hamid, a furniture exporter and owner of Khalid & Sons. "In the beginning I used my relatives' contacts to get export orders from London and Copenhagen," he said. "Later I adopted an aggressive marketing strategy to get more orders," added Mr Hamid.
The local furniture exporters get the majority of their orders from three and four star hotels in different European countries. "The exporters are working hard to approach world renowned departmental stores to buy Pakistani furniture," said Muhammad Sheraz, owner of R Muhammad & Sons, a furniture-exporting firm.
At present, there are 38 furniture-exporting firms registered with the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), and Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Peshawar and Swat are the major cities from where furniture is being exported.
"There is no match of the Pakistani skilled workers in furniture-making all over the world," said Turban Baig, chairman, All Pakistan Furniture Exporters Association. Although the country has no institute where the designing of furniture is taught, still the local skilled workers are so competent that the country is manufacturing world-class furniture, he said.
In developed countries, furniture is being made on modern machineries, but in Pakistan it is made through manual methods and by hands. The skilled workforce here has prepared "Deco Paint Furniture" - a special form of furniture - by hands, while this type of furniture is made on hi-tech machinery in Europe, said Atiq Mir, a furniture trader at the Aram Bagh Furniture Market. "There is no competition of the Pakistani furniture around the world, but due to the lack of facilities it could not be introduced in many countries," he said.
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