CHINIOT, Oct 8: Efforts to promote wooden furniture industry in Chiniot was stressed at a workshop arranged by Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority at the Islamia College Hall.

Provincial Smeda chief Chaudhry Alamgir said the total global imports of furniture had been $20.59 billion while the exports had been $20.88 billion during 2002-03.

He said the major furniture importing countries, included US 44 per cent, Germany 10 per cent, France eight per cent and Japan six per cent. While Italy was the leading furniture exporting country with a share of 15 per cent followed by China with 14 per cent, Germany 10 per cent, Canada 10 per cent and Denmark seven per cent.

He regretted that Pakistan was contributing very less in furniture export Pakistan exported only wooden furniture worth $8.9 million. He said 17 per cent furniture was exported to the US, 15 per cent to the UAE, 12 per cent to Afghanistan, 11 per cent to the UK, five per cent to Spain and 40 per cent to other countries.

He, however, said that Pakistan's furniture exports had registered a sharp rise of 21 per cent during 2000-03. Giving on overview of Pakistani furniture industry, Mr Aalamgir said that Gujrat and Chiniot were the places where furniture clusters were found.

He said the furniture industry of Chiniot was some 200 years old. Currently, he said, there were about 4,000 furniture manufacturing units in Chiniot. Around 40,000 people were directly engaged in this business.

The direct exports from Chiniot were negligible because only four to six workshop owners were exporting the furniture. He said one of the major problem faced by industry was lack of innovation and quality of products. New products were only based on designed copied from brochures, catalogues while computer automated designing (CAD) was not used in this programme.

On the side of input, Shisham wood was the only raw material which had been under attack of an unknown disease for the last few years. Consequently, the quantity of shisham wood was decreasing in the market and its price inflating.

Lack of education and training institutes were the main impediments in introducing modern design, new innovations and techniques. He said that wood drying or seasoning was an important step before wood was being carved. But there was not only a single wood seasoning plant working in Chiniot.

The Smeda, he said, had suggested training of workers, introduction of new designs, quality control, marketing. It also suggested a rigorous tree plantation drive of shisham trees and research on its disease.

He said the manufacturers should also be given credit for working capital while wood drying plants should be installed there. The manufacturers should also be given loans for new machinery and equipment while they should be encouraged to participate in local as well as international exhibitions abroad.

Finally, he suggested that different governmental organizations like Smeda, PISC and EPB should work collectively to promote the furniture industry and its exports from Chiniot.