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70 percent of furniture used in the country imported
2006-10-27 08:53:46
By Mgeta Mganga
Although Tanzania in endowed with quality tropical wood and timber, more raw logs are exported instead of producing value added furniture for the export market.
The sad news is contained in the latest Diagnostic Trade Integration Study by the Ministry of Industry and Trade which testifies that over seventy percent of furniture used in the country was imported.
The major consumers are hotels, restaurants, offices and tour operators. Procurement was normally done through direct importation rather than through furniture houses.
The study indicates that though imported furniture was expensive, and freight costs as much USD210 per sofa set, poor quality of local timber suffocates their market value and acceptance.
The study, however, indicates that a few large manufactures are planning to improve and to increase local production, which would result in increased share of local furniture use in tourist businesses, to as much as 50 percent.
”Despite the currently high import share, there has been a four fold increase in revenue over the last seven years for local furniture” the report says.
The report also indicates that there are only 6 to 8 large furniture manufacturers in the country. The rest are small and medium ones.
Omari Salum, a downtown furniture dealer told this newspaper that they were forced to import fittings because furniture produced locally was not of good quality enough to command the attention of customers.
”Lack of finer appearance that most hotels and restaurant establishments would like to purchase appears to be lacking while local furniture was less durable and weather resistant largely due to the use of untreated wood,” he said.
Most timber used was untreated mostly because of lack of well established timber treatment facilities as well as lack of professionalism in techniques of timber treatment gives room for the domestic market to be flooded by foreign products.
Though locally made furniture was cheaper, majority of customers go for quality.
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