Home and Living Fair a boon for Lao furniture makers
Home and Living Fair a boon for Lao furniture makers
The Lao Furniture Association expects that 80 percent of home and living products displayed at the first Lao Home and Living Fair this year will be sold during the event.
The total value of home and living products on display is about 10 billion kip, with eight billion kip worth of goods expected to be sold, the association reported.
The fair officially opened at Lao-ITECC in Vientiane yesterday and was organised by the association and the Trade and Product Promotion Department of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister DrSonexaySiphandone, Minister of Industry and Commerce, MsKhemmaniPholsena, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Assoc. Prof DrKhamphadSourinphoumy, government officials, representatives of foreign embassies to Laos, wood entrepreneurs and representatives from domestic and foreign companies.
There are around 400 booths and more than 100 companies at the fair. The home and living products being displayed include furniture made from rattan and bamboo, as well as hand-crafted goods from different provinces around the country.
The association expects more than 200,000 people from Laos and other countries to visit the fair before it ends on July 24, Lao Furniture Association President MrKhamphaySomdana said at the opening ceremony. Visitors will be entertained by fashion shows performed by kindergarten and primary school children, as well as a boxing competition and a concert featuring Lao and Thai performers, he said.
The event offers furniture businesses and wood makers the opportunity to share experiences on new technology, design, quality and marketing. In addition, operators will have the chance to meet their domestic and foreign customers and sell products at the event, said MrKhamphay.
The main objectives are to comply with the Prime Minister's Order and raise public awareness about the conservation and protection of forests and to utilise wood more efficiently, especially by producing a variety of finished products made from wood, rattan and bamboo to supply customer demand. Another goal is to add value to Lao wooden furniture products so they are of high quality and are suitable for export to foreign markets.
Growth of the industry will also help to reduce unemployment and create jobs for Lao people.
The furniture and wood processing sector in Laos continues to expand. This directly contributes to socio-economic development and creates job opportunities for local people, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, MrSiewsavathSavaengseuksa.
The value of exported processed wood products, furniture and tree roots increased from US$105 million in 2014 to US$113 million the following year, he said.
The markets for these products are mostly China, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan, MrSiewsavath said.
He believed the event would help trade partners to negotiate and exchange information to strengthen business development within the Asean Economic Community.
