Expanding: Furniture council delegation to visit Turkey

Trip meant to be an exchange of expertise, future policies and vision

ISLAMABAD: An eleven-member delegation of the Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) will visit Turkey for one week in October to explore new investment avenues by sharing their vision, expertise for formulation of future policies, economic studies and project-specific reports in addition to promotional efforts.

The delegation will mainly visit Bursa - a hub of furniture industry in Turkey - and have an in-depth discussion with their counterparts in Turkey, said PFC chief executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq in a statement issued here Tuesday.

The leading furniture outlets and factories as well as workshops will also be visited for equipping with latest trends and modern designs.

The PFC is focusing on marketing activities in key markets (United States, Japan, European Union, and the Gulf region).

A concerted action is being taken for holding exhibitions; promoting websites; organising international trade fairs and in-depth market analysis adding, said Ashfaq. “The PFC has invited foreign furniture buyers to the 3-day international furniture exhibitions in Pakistan starting from November 25 at Expo Centre, Lahore.”

The PFC chief executive added that participation in international shows should be deemed imperative for furniture exports. He accentuated that the establishment of joint ventures with Turkey for the provision of required machinery can bolster the quality of Pakistan’s furniture products and bring them at par with international standard.

“Therefore, there is a dire need to transform our furniture business from cottage or small scale to highly innovative industry, for which training of skilled labour and high-end supplies are required.”

According to Ashfaq, Pakistan usually exports kitchen and office furniture to the Gulf countries and to the UK, while bedroom furniture is mostly exported to the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2016.

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