Mohammad Badrul Ahsan :
Japan is gradually becoming the key destination for local furniture export thanks to innovative design, better quality and cheaper price, insiders said.
According to them, export to the emerging market risen sharply in the last couple of years and many local companies are now getting increased amount of export order from the $ 7.5 billion importing country.
Akhtar Group, one of the leading furniture companies of the country, has recently bagged an export order worth Tk 500 million from Japan which has been seen as an opportunity to explore the pacific nation.
KM Akhtaruzzaman, Chairman of Akhtar Group, a pioneer in furniture industry of the country, said they have recently got a furniture order worth nearly Tk 500 million from a Japanese apartment furniture company.
He said they are importing required fixing-machinery from Japan to manufacture furniture.
“We may get a Tk 2.0 billion order within next one year depending on the success of the deal,” he said.
Akhtar, also president of Bangladesh Furniture Exporters Association, said home furniture, made of wood and other materials, will be exported to the Japanese company.
“The company will also provide technical support. An expert of the company will help our carpenters and technicians in manufacturing furniture,” he added.
Akhtar said Japan is one of the leading furniture importing countries in the world with its more than $ 7.5 billion import.
“The recent order will help us grab a share of the giant market,” he said.
Dewan Atif Rashid, a furniture market expert, said Bangladesh has the potential to grab the markets in Germany, the US, Japan, Canada and other big importing countries thanks to having its surplus labourers.
“But the labourers should be skilled and we need to mechanise the industry largely,” he said.
He put stress on technical and market research, saying that a comprehensive research academy should be set up for the industry.
He said furniture companies in China, the US and EU are now shutting their doors as the countries are shifting to technology-based industry from labour-intensive ones.
Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India have surpassed Bangladesh much ago through taking export-friendly furniture policy by their governments.
He said Bangladesh has just started to explore furniture export market as the government has declared 15 per cent cash incentives on export.
To make our products more competitive, he said, higher import duty on more than 5,000 raw materials should be eased which is now 34 per cent to 140 per cent.
He informed The New Nation that Bangladesh’s export of wooden furniture is only US$ 11 million out of its total US$ 39 million furniture exports.
Japan needs high-end wooden products and we have the possibility of taking hold of household furniture import to Japan, he said.
After China, Vietnam now ranks as top furniture exporter to Japan as the country much earlier started to take preparation to tap shipments, he commented.
Legacy Furniture, a local company, first started to export furniture from Bangladesh.
Hatil, Akhtar, Legacy, Otobi, Brothers and other some companies now export products to the US, EU, and Middle-East.
According to Italy-based Centre for Industrial Studies (CSIL) research, the global furniture export market was $ 241 billion in 2015 of which China comprises highest 98.7 billion. Bangladesh has a tiny share of $ 39 million when its global competitors like Vietnam and India make shipments of $ 7.5 billion and $ 1.3 billion respectively.
Japan is gradually becoming the key destination for local furniture export thanks to innovative design, better quality and cheaper price, insiders said.
According to them, export to the emerging market risen sharply in the last couple of years and many local companies are now getting increased amount of export order from the $ 7.5 billion importing country.
Akhtar Group, one of the leading furniture companies of the country, has recently bagged an export order worth Tk 500 million from Japan which has been seen as an opportunity to explore the pacific nation.
KM Akhtaruzzaman, Chairman of Akhtar Group, a pioneer in furniture industry of the country, said they have recently got a furniture order worth nearly Tk 500 million from a Japanese apartment furniture company.
He said they are importing required fixing-machinery from Japan to manufacture furniture.
“We may get a Tk 2.0 billion order within next one year depending on the success of the deal,” he said.
Akhtar, also president of Bangladesh Furniture Exporters Association, said home furniture, made of wood and other materials, will be exported to the Japanese company.
“The company will also provide technical support. An expert of the company will help our carpenters and technicians in manufacturing furniture,” he added.
Akhtar said Japan is one of the leading furniture importing countries in the world with its more than $ 7.5 billion import.
“The recent order will help us grab a share of the giant market,” he said.
Dewan Atif Rashid, a furniture market expert, said Bangladesh has the potential to grab the markets in Germany, the US, Japan, Canada and other big importing countries thanks to having its surplus labourers.
“But the labourers should be skilled and we need to mechanise the industry largely,” he said.
He put stress on technical and market research, saying that a comprehensive research academy should be set up for the industry.
He said furniture companies in China, the US and EU are now shutting their doors as the countries are shifting to technology-based industry from labour-intensive ones.
Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India have surpassed Bangladesh much ago through taking export-friendly furniture policy by their governments.
He said Bangladesh has just started to explore furniture export market as the government has declared 15 per cent cash incentives on export.
To make our products more competitive, he said, higher import duty on more than 5,000 raw materials should be eased which is now 34 per cent to 140 per cent.
He informed The New Nation that Bangladesh’s export of wooden furniture is only US$ 11 million out of its total US$ 39 million furniture exports.
Japan needs high-end wooden products and we have the possibility of taking hold of household furniture import to Japan, he said.
After China, Vietnam now ranks as top furniture exporter to Japan as the country much earlier started to take preparation to tap shipments, he commented.
Legacy Furniture, a local company, first started to export furniture from Bangladesh.
Hatil, Akhtar, Legacy, Otobi, Brothers and other some companies now export products to the US, EU, and Middle-East.
According to Italy-based Centre for Industrial Studies (CSIL) research, the global furniture export market was $ 241 billion in 2015 of which China comprises highest 98.7 billion. Bangladesh has a tiny share of $ 39 million when its global competitors like Vietnam and India make shipments of $ 7.5 billion and $ 1.3 billion respectively.
