ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Furniture Council on Sunday urged the government and private sectors to join hands for raising its forest cover from 5 per cent to 25 per cent in order to meet the ever-growing needs of the furniture industry in Pakistan.
Mian Kashif Ashfaq CEO PFC, while talking to a delegation of women furniture entrepreneurs led by Ms Nida Ejaz said currently, paper and furniture and local industries, are experiencing serious supply shocks which are not only impeding their further growth and but also adversely affecting their international competitiveness.
As the global economy is expected to be more challenging this year in the wake of Covid 19, he urged the furniture industry to remain resilient by innovating, adopting technology as well as diversifying export markets in order to sustain demand in the long run. “We have to overcome challenges to strengthen our market share; we must continue to produce innovative and market-oriented products to meet challenging times,” he added.
Mian Kashif Ashfaq said in the absence of enough supplies of wood, cheaper furniture made of fancy and laminated sheets of chipboard has flooded the local market.
He said wooden furniture, like that of shishum wood, is quite expensive that is why Shishum’s furniture is made for selected buyers only.
He said Pakistan needs mass tree plantation at plain, hilly and other empty areas with the support of private organisations and government to meet the demands of the growing furniture industry.
He said about 500,000 workers are employed in forestry sector, and its related business like logging, carpentry, and timber products manufacturing, and tourism and the forests contribute only 0.3 per cent to GNP due to low area.
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.
Mian Kashif said . “We have to overcome challenges to strengthen our market share; we must continue to produce innovative and market-oriented products to meet challenging times,”.
The country has excellent craftsmen and designers, who can virtually give life to a piece of wood, he said, adding that Pakistani craftsmen should work in this particular area to earn much-needed foreign exchange.