ISLAMABAD - The United States investors of furniture industry and buyers have shown keen interest in Pakistani handmade traditional furniture.

They underlined the need of further enhancing collaboration with the Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) to promote furniture business between the two countries. This was stated by PFC Chief Executive Officer Mian Kashif Ashfaq while talking to the US furniture producers at a ceremony held in honour of PFC delegation currently visiting US for enhancing the bilateral trade with their counterparts.

In a statement received here on Thursday, he said that there was a significant potential for promoting Pakistan-US furniture trade and further strengthening of investment relations of both the countries. He said that there was a plenty of opportunities to increase furniture export volume to the US due to its upward trend, as the demand for furniture and wooden products were on the rise in the US and European markets along with the domestic consumers.

“Only US furniture demand at the manufacturers’ level is forecast to reach $59.0 billion in 2021,” he said adding that opportunity was a huge one, but the sector needed a large number of skilled workers to meet the rising demand. Kashif invited the US furniture investors and buyer to visit three-day international exhibition of PFC 9th “Interiors Pakistan” being held from December 15 at Lahore.