Punjab govt focusing on best environment for trade: minister

FAISALABAD: The 16th edition of Pakistan Lifestyle Furniture Expo was held at a local marquee on Canal Road here on Friday.

The event was inaugurated by Punjab Minister for CMIT Muhammad Ajmal Cheema. Pakistan Lifestyle Furniture Expo Director Zahra Faisal, Manager Operation Muhammad Ikram, Hammad Bin Nasir and representatives of business community were also present. During the expo, top 50 furniture brands of Pakistan were the major exhibitors.

The Punjab minister said that such exhibitions were availed as a great opportunity for the people who visited top 50 furniture brands under one roof and experienced a huge variety of furniture as well as a good price comparison. He said that the Punjab government was focusing on the best environment for the trade and commerce. He appreciated the arrangements during the event. He said that from the last few years, the PLFE had become greatest source of business for furniture industry of Pakistan and played a leading role in the growth of furniture brands. This exhibition also provided the younger designers and architects to see the market trends and display their own work alongside that of more established professionals, he added. He said that Pakistan’s wood industry was well-developed and captures 95pc of the country’s total market for furniture. He informed that the country had more than 700 units of wooden furniture while Chiniot alone meets 80pc of furniture demand in the country, Gujrat, with world-class furniture, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi being important centres. The director of the Pakistan Lifestyle Furniture Expo said that import of furniture items could create a viable threat to unemployment in local furniture industry. The furniture industry in Pakistan had a great potential, she told. The skilled craftsmen could create unique pieces while large scale factories could produce many identical units in both cases, she added.

She said that the exhibition was a great initiative from the Pakistan Lifestyle and Furniture Expo for the furniture industry of Pakistan and such exhibitions would help expedite the growth of Pakistan furniture industry. The furniture Expo would remain open till March 8, she added.