Furniture industry growing rapidly in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is manufacturing a sizeable amount of quality and world-class furniture. The domestic furniture market is growing at a brisk pace of around 20 per cent a year.

Consumers prefer local furniture to foreign manufactures these days, say industry insiders.

The furniture industry got off to a humble start as cottage industry. But after the mid-90s, it eventually graduated to a full-fledged industrial scale.

Since then, furniture manufacturers have been using innovative designs, sophisticated machineries, and other materials to grow and establish the industry.

Bangladesh Furniture Industries Owners’ Association (BFIOA) president Selim H Rahman told The Independent that the domestic furniture market was growing fast, at an approximate rate of 20 per cent a year.

Rahman said the government had taken a step to provide a 15 per cent cash incentive on all types of furniture exports.

Speaking of the challenges, Rahman said raw materials, such as wood, hardware, finishing materials, and other stuff, had to be imported. A high import duty on raw materials was pushing up production cost, he added.

He also said the government should revise the import tariff policy to help the furniture industry survive and compete with global competitors like Vietnam and Indonesia.

“We do not have sufficient product designer, nor do we have any vocational training institution to learn, create, and explore the domestic and international market. This has been our biggest drawback,” he added.

Explaining the opportunities, Rahman said China, the biggest plastic manufacturer, had closed down many of their factories due to expensive labour. This has created a golden opportunity for Bangladesh to penetrate the global market.

India was another country with huge export potential, he added.   

Several showroom managers say their sales are have been quite satisfactory this year compared to previous years, as they have a good collection of trendy and fashionable furniture.

Partex Furniture Industries Ltd, a concern of the Partex Star Group, is one of the country's largest furniture manufacturers.

Tareq Aziz, general manager (marketing) of the Partex Star Group, said: “The new design of wooden furniture is the latest trend at this moment. Suxh furniture is completely processed and manufactured by machines.”

In response to a question, Aziz said three types of furniture, such as sofa sets, dining tables and beds, sold more than any other furniture so far this year. “Furniture sales have increased by 27 per cent compared to last year,” he added.

Nahid Yusuf, assistant general manager (brand) of the Partex Group, told The Independent that Partex Furniture generally manufactured three types of items: solid wooden furniture, board furniture and steel furniture.

Hedayetullah, sales manager of Nadia Furniture, said: “We provide studio and office furniture solutions. This could be the reason behind the interest of foreign buyers in our products.”

Talking about buyers in the global market, Hedayetullah said foreign buyers, especially Europeans, liked simple designs that were convenient and convertible for daily use.

Hatil Furniture mananging director Selim Rahman told The Independent that Hatil exported products worth USD 100,000 to the Middle East, Canada, Nepal and Bhutan every month.

According to BFIOA information, more than 3,000 manufacturers are currently working in this sector. More than 20 lakh people are employed in this industry.

 

Furniture industry growing rapidly in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is manufacturing a sizeable amount of quality and world-class furniture. The domestic furniture market is growing at a brisk pace of around 20 per cent a year. Consumers prefer local furniture to foreign manufactures these days, say industry insiders. The furniture industry got off to a humble start as cottage industry. But after the mid-90s, it eventually graduated to a full-fledged industrial scale. Since then, furniture manufacturers have been using innovative designs, sophisticated machineries, and other materials to grow and establish the industry. Bangladesh Furniture Industries Owners Association (BFIOA) president Selim H Rahman told The Independent that the domestic furniture market was growing fast, at an approximate rate of 20 per cent a year. Rahman said the government had taken a step to provide a 15 per cent cash incentive on all types of furniture exports. Speaking of the challenges, Rahman said raw materials, such as wood, hardware, finishing materials, and other stuff, had to be imported. A high import duty on raw materials was pushing up production cost, he added. He also said the government should revise the import tariff policy to help the furniture industry survive and compete with global competitors like Vietnam and Indonesia. We do not have sufficient product designer, nor do we have any vocational training institution to learn, create, and explore the domestic and international market. This has been our biggest drawback, he added. Explaining the opportunities, Rahman said China, the biggest plastic manufacturer, had closed down many of their factories due to expensive labour. This has created a golden opportunity for Bangladesh to penetrate the global market. India was another country with huge export potential, he added. Several showroom managers say their sales are have been quite satisfactory this year compared to previous years, as they have a good collection of trendy and fashionable furniture. Partex Furniture Industries Ltd, a concern of the Partex Star Group, is one of the countrys largest furniture manufacturers. Tareq Aziz, general manager (marketing) of the Partex Star Group, said: The new design of wooden furniture is the latest trend at this moment. Suxh furniture is completely processed and manufactured by machines. In response to a question, Aziz said three types of furniture, such as sofa sets, dining tables and beds, sold more than any other furniture so far this year. Furniture sales have increased by 27 per cent compared to last year, he added. Nahid Yusuf, assistant general manager (brand) of the Partex Group, told The Independent that Partex Furniture generally manufactured three types of items: solid wooden furniture, board furniture and steel furniture. Hedayetullah, sales manager of Nadia Furniture, said: We provide studio and office furniture solutions. This could be the reason behind the interest of foreign buyers in our products. Talking about buyers in the global market, Hedayetullah said foreign buyers, especially Europeans, liked simple designs that were convenient and convertible for daily use. Hatil Furniture mananging director Selim Rahman told The Independent that Hatil exported products worth USD 100,000 to the Middle East, Canada, Nepal and Bhutan every month. According to BFIOA information, more than 3,000 manufacturers are currently working in this sector. More than 20 lakh people are employed in this industry.