National Furniture Fair begins in Dhaka

The five-day National Furniture Fair 2022 has begun at the International Convention Centre Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka on Thursday aiming to develop the country’s furniture industry.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Jashim Uddin inaugurated the fair where Bangladesh Furniture Industries Owners Association (BFIOA) Chairman Selim H Rahman was also present.

Selim said, “We have arranged the fair after two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope that the 17th National Furniture Fair will attract more visitors here.”

There are 182 stalls of 34 companies including Hatil, Akhtar, Navana, Pertex, Regal, Nadia and Brothers.

The fair will continue till October 10 from 10am to 6pm at ICCB’s hall-1 and hall-2. There is no entry fee.

“We also arranged a painting competition for children aged between 6-12 years among visitors on the inaugural day,” Selim said.

“Attractive prizes among participants will be handed over on the closing day at 6pm. Each participant will get a certificate and a sketchbook as well,” he added.

During the inaugural session, the FBCCI president said that he will discuss with the government the necessary steps needed to increase furniture export.

Jashim also encouraged furniture manufacturers to diversify the sector as it has potential in the local and global markets.

BFIOA Senior Vice President KM Akhtaruzzaman, Secretary General Md Elias Sarkar, Vice Chairman and Convener of the fair committee Sheikh Abdul Awal, and Organising Secretary A Karim Mazumdar were also present on the occasion.

At present, furniture products from Bangladesh are exported to India, Nepal, USA, UAE, Bahrain and European Union countries.

The export performance for July-August FY23 was $12.95 million which was $13.71 million in the same period of the previous fiscal year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh.