Penang,Malaysia:The Malaysian Furniture Entrepreneurs Association(MFEA)expects the export sales of Malaysian-made furniture products to increase between three and five percent to about RM8 billion(US$2.5 billion)this year,from RM7.67 billion last year.
The United States and China are two economies that are expected to buy more furniture products from Malaysia this year.
MFEA president Lor Lean Sen said that China is still an untapped market for Malaysian furniture manufacturers,since China has traditionally bought furniture made from medium density board,which is a cheaper material.
Mr Lor added:"As the China middleclass has grown,the country started importing rubber-wood furniture products from Malaysia since the second half of last year.We expect China to order more from us this year,as there is zero import duty on Malaysian-made furniture entering China."
The United States is another market expected to purchase more furniture products from Malaysia this year,according to Mr Lor.
In January 2012,US purchases of Malaysian-made furniture products hit RM163 million,compared with RM158.8 million in January 2011.This represented an increase of about three percent.
"As the economy in the United States recovers further this year,we expect more purchases for Malaysian-made furniture products from the US,"Mr Lor said.
Singapore imported RM41.4 million in January 2012,compared to RM58.8 million in January 2011,down by 29.5 percent.The MFEA has around 3,000 members,of which approximately 30 percent are involved in export business.
