- PFC chief executive says handicraft industry is employing around 50,000 people
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah will inaugurate a three-day grand 8th furniture exhibition ‘Interiors Pakistan’ at the Karachi Expo Centre on July 7.
Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq on Saturday announced that the PFC is organising the event in Karachi and have a lot of expectation as Karachi is a commercial hub.
Unfolding the distinctive features of the mega-event, he said that the “Interiors Pakistan” is an opportunity for the largest furniture companies and interior designers across the country to display their products. The exhibition promotes the furniture and associated products made in Pakistan. The council expects that there will be over 200,000 visitors based on the success of the previous exhibitions.
He further said that with its previous experience, the PFC remained one of the most distinctive channels for regional and international companies to penetrate the global market. It is renowned among international buyers for quality, value and wide selection of all types of furniture.
“As we’re working, we’re always striving for a higher degree of excellence,” said Kashif. “But the problem in furniture making is that it is so labour intensive. So our goal with this organisation is to show people what we do and why our work is worth what it costs.”
Answering a question, he said the essence of these exhibitions was to promote the Pakistan-made furniture and associated products 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.
Kashif, who is also the ChenOne’s chief executive, said that furniture makers suffer from a lack of recognition from the government. He said the country’s wood industry is well-developed. The country has more than 700 units of wooden furniture making with Chiniot, Gujrat, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi important centres.
The supplies are being made to home, hotels, restaurants, offices and public facilities. The Pakistan Furniture Council chief said furniture made in Chiniot meets more than 80 per cent of the local demand.
“This, combined with the handicraft industry, is employing around 50,000 people,” he added. “If local industry expands, new opportunities of employment would be generated,” Ashfaq said, adding, Chiniot is famous for its beautifully wood carved furniture and brass inlays.
Pakistan’s wood industry is well developed and captures 95 per cent of the country’s total market for furniture. The country has more than 700 units of wooden furniture with Chiniot, alone meets 80 per cent of furniture demand in the country, Gujarat, with world-class furniture, 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.
