Bamboo furniture makers eye apartment market
Bamboo furniture makers eye apartment market
Bamboo furniture makers are adjusting their designs to suit consumers' tastes in the growing apartment and condo market.
The bamboo furniture group is endeavouring to improve their products in response to both domestic and international markets with increasing numbers of people now interested in living in apartments where space is limited.
According to a representative of a bamboo furniture making group in Nayang village, Sengthong district, Vientiane, Ms Bountom, they were educating its members about becoming export ready for the international market with advice from an international organisation.
Consequently, the group will focus on furniture designs to suite demand aimed at export markets.
The bamboo furniture industry considers it has the potential to grow over the next two years especially after the Asean Economic Community comes into effect at the end of this year.
Ms Bountom believed Lao bamboo furniture would sell overseas if the government helped local producers to improve their designs and production standards.
While bamboo furniture has export potential there currently isn't an overall marketing strategy to encourage local makers in the sector.
She confirmed that group members could supply sufficient bamboo furniture with international marketing.
“Currently, we collect furnitu re together for the domestic market and display it at events in the capital such as those held at Lao-ITECC,” she explained.
“However, group members are still not encouraged to produce large amounts of furniture even if they are able to because we don't have other markets at present,” she added.
The group has been operating since 2008 and the market is growing with one member now earning about 10 million ki p per year from selling bamboo furniture, but this was still low compared to other sectors.
