PESHAWAR, Aug 31: The wooden furniture makers of the NWFP will display fine quality products in Europe in an effort to improve the exports of their goods from the province, said market sources.
Though the quality furniture made in the Frontier province was already introduced in European markets, this fresh effort on the part of a group of manufacturers has come under a collective effort to improve exports to some of the major foreign markets.
Initially, the furniture will be marketed in London under an agreement between a group of 12 members of the furniture dealers and manufacturers association, Peshawar, and a local company operating in London.
A warehouse and a display centre will be established in London to properly introduce and market NWFP’s wooden products.
The association members have been assisted to market their products abroad under a proposal prepared by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda), NWFP, which helped the two sides enter into a formal pact.
The body of furniture makers is also working to help small and medium units involve in manufacturing wooden furniture to properly introduce their products in the local markets.
In this respect, the 12-member group will jointly develop a display centre at Peshawar where over 40 small units will display their products for sale.
A Peshawar-based Smeda representative said these efforts besides facilitating market access to the manufacturers will help them capture their due share in the local markets.
Smeda, he said, is also assisting the textile sector of the NWFP— operating in Matta Mughal Khel near Peshawar— in exploring business opportunities and improve their profitability.
A common facility centre will be established for the availability of raw material in this regard and to help SMEs trade their products.
The common facility set up by a local company will supply high-quality raw material (yarn) at suitable rates to the 30 member cluster of SMEs.
Some sources said that out of the 40 cases of loans submitted to the SME Bank Ltd by the textiles sector, 38 cases had been okayed for financing.