Turkey to share furniture technology with Pakistan

KARACHI, July 05 (APP) : Turkey will share latest technology
with Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) to help furniture manufacturers
in producing world class modern design furniture to compete in
international market by making them cost and quality efficient.
This was revealed by Chief of Pakistan Furniture Council
(PFC) Mian Kashif Ashfaq while addressing a press conference here
on Wednesday in connection with forthcoming 8th three-day mega
Interiors Pakistan Expo commencing from July 7, at Expo Centre
Karachi, says a press release.
He said a leading Turkish ‘Inegol Business Association’ would set
up modern training centers one each in Lahore, Chinot, Gujrat and
Peshawar where local woodworkers would get training in modern
designing and improvement of products to meet global market demands.
He said, PFC had inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
Turkish private sector for promoting furniture industry in
Pakistan.
Unfolding the distinguish features of MoU, he said Turkey was
interested in enhancing furniture business with PFC, undertaking
joint-venture projects either in Turkey or in Pakistan and sharing
technology with Pakistan.
He said that Musoot, another leading furniture producer
in Turkey, had also agreed to cooperate with PFC for organizing a
series of 3-day workshops in Pakistan for practical demonstration to
enhance capacity building and improvement of furniture quality.
The PFC chief suggested that a chartered vessel service
should be started between Pakistan and Turkey for regular trade of
goods.
He also urged for the establishment of a display centre for
Pakistani Furniture in Istanbul.
He said many countries have shown interest in Pakistani
furniture. They liked our hand-carved designs on furniture with
classic and fine finishing and similar designs could be replicated
in the Turkish furniture market.
He said Pakistan has potential to export at least one billion
dollars handmade wood furniture annually if the government patronized
furniture industry and interest free loans on soft terms were provided
to small scale manufacturers for boosting export and overcoming their
financial constraints. It would also generate plenty of jobs to poor
segment of the society.
In reply to a question, he said that PFC had so far successfully
conducted seven Interiors Pakistan exhibitions in Islamabad,
Lahore and Karachi within its own resources.
He said Mian Kashif Ashfaq informed that leading manufacturers
would display their products at 8th furniture expo to be started from
Friday here, which, he hoped, would attract a large number of
investors, buyers and visitors from cross section of the society.
He said Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah would inaugurate the
exhibition. Leading businessmen including S.M. Munir, Iftikhar Ali
Malik and President Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, Zubair Tufail would also visit the 3-day exhibition.