BANGKOK, 16 March 2011 (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce is confident that Japanese entrepreneurs are still keen on importing Thai furniture and will not cancel their attendance to the Thailand International Furniture Fair (TIFF) 2011 following the recent natural disaster.
After presiding over the launch of the TIFF 2011 in Bangkok, Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot disclosed that although Japan was suffering from the aftermath of an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and a deadly tsunami, most major Japanese importers of Thai furniture had confirmed their participation in the fair. He believed that the quality of Thai products would continue to win over Japanese customers, especially in the wake of the recent catastrophe that had prompted the need for reconstruction and renovation of the affected cities.
Thailand’s export of furniture to Japan in 2010 was valued at 220 million USD and in January this year alone was worth over 20 million USD, a growth of 10 percent. Since the beginning of this year, the exports of Thai furniture have expanded well in Asia, particularly Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and India as well as new markets like China, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. For the whole year, the export value of furniture is targeted to reach 1.29 billion USD, higher than last year by 10 percent.
As part of the strategy to propel the Thai furniture industry forward and to gain international recognition for Thai merchandises, the TIFF 2011 reserves the first three days of the fair from 16 to 18 March for trade negotiations only. The fair will be open to the general public during 19-20 March at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center (BITEC). Up to 34,000 participants are expected.
