Furniture importers request govt. to allow importation of quality merchandise

… say their imported goods are ‘no threat’ to local industries

by Sanath Nanayakkare

Nawaal Qasim, Chairman of Office Chairs and Furniture Importers Association while congratulating the government on containing the Covid-19 epidemic, urged it to lift the import restrictions that affected the furniture importers.

Qasim said in a brief interview with The Island: “The association has 16 companies which have employed 5,000 people direct and a larger work force depends on it indirectly. If the current import suspension continues, they will lose their livelihoods as we can’t afford to keep them in our employ. At the same time, the business owners will also suffer when the sustainability of their operations are at stake.

“The import restrictions on our quality merchandise also adversely affect a broad spectrum of allied industries such as architectural companies and construction companies that absolutely require these supplies.

“This type of office seating cannot be manufactured locally due to limited technology, unavailability of required inputs and components within the country. Our products are office chairs and office furniture and there is little or no wood/timber in them, therefore, it poses no threat to local industries. And I would be seriously remiss if I don’t mention that the merchandise customers buy from us are no longer considered a luxury. It’s a must-have for any business or any formal setting,” Nawaal emphasised.

“It does not make sense for any investor to invest in setting up manufacturing plants to produce the merchandise here in Sri Lanka because the domestic market is really small. On the other hand, even if we do make them here, we can’t capture a market share in the global market as mass-scale manufacturers in Malaysia, China, Indonesia, etc., already supply these goods in bulk to the European, American and the UK markets at very competitive prices. So an export market in this sector is not viable”.

“Furthermore, the value of imports of office chairs and furniture to Sri Lanka in 2019-2020 compared to the overall value of imports to the country during the period was negligible. So it has a minimal effect on the outflow of foreign exchange and a more positive impact on the construction industry and allied sectors. We, therefore, request the authorities to consider the above facts and ease the import restriction on office chairs and furniture. If this is done, we can resume our businesses as usual and continue to contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the country,” Nawaal said.