Turkey seeks after Vietnam’s wooden products
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| Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien (3rd, R) and the city’s officials cut the inauguration ribbon for Expo 2010 on WEdnesday - Photo: Thai Hang |
HCMC – Many traders attending the HCMC International Furniture and Handicraft Fair and Exhibition, or Expo 2010, which kicked off here in the city on Wednesday morning, said they were optimistic about the number of contracts they would strike at the five-day event.
Dang Van Long, director of Dang Long Furniture Co. specializing in indoor and outdoor furniture, said he met several guests from the U.S., Canada and Japan on the first day of Expo 2010.
“Especially, there is one American retailer who asked for price quotations for big contracts amounting to hundreds of containers. I have participated in the Expo for years but have never seen such positive results right on the first day,” Long said.
Long and other exporters said they had faced difficulties in business due to weak purchasing power of key markets although signs of recovery had emerged since the first months of the year. The situation has forced them to delay plans to expand factories or develop new products.
Traders hence expect the fair will help them bolster business.
On day one Expo 2010 attracted not only international buyers but also local traders who came to get updated on the latest trends in the woodworking and handicraft sectors.
Tran Viet Tien, director of Gia Long Fine Art Co., specializing in home décor from poly resin, composite and foam, said he had many local visitors to his booth on Wednesday. They included contractors for restaurants and resorts.
In opening remarks Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien praised efforts by wood and handicraft enterprises to ride out tough times, saying this had helped push up the country’s overall export.
According to Vietnam’s customs, in the January-September period, wood exports increased by up to 37% from last year’s same period to around US$2.2 billion.
After the opening ceremony, which was also attended by diplomatic offices of France, Korea, Cuba, and the Netherlands, Deputy Minister Bien and representatives of the HCMC government awarded certificates of merit to the city’s 20 leading wood and handicraft exporters.
Expo 2010 will wrap up on October 10. On Thursday and Friday, there will be seminars on new challenges and solutions for the furniture and handicraft sectors, and introduction of a credit program by Viet A Bank to support enterprises.
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| Ten Turkish businesses are in talks with Vietnamese partners over the supply of wooden products to the country - Photo: Thu Nguyet |
* Turkey was among several countries sending trade missions to the HCMC International Furniture and Handicraft Fair and Exhibition 2010 on Wednesday, and had business meetings with local furniture and handicraft makers at the event.
Selman Aycan, a representative of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) in Vietnam, said Turkey had a big demand for furniture, thus promising a new market for Vietnamese businesses.
He added that TUSKON is due to organize a trade mission for Vietnamese enterprises to Turkey next June. The market imports furniture, farm products, rubber, construction materials and garments from Vietnam while exporting steel.
However, furniture exports to Turkey are still modest. Statistics of the Ministry of Industry and Trade show Vietnam shipped a mere US$4.97 million worth of furniture to Turkey in the first eight months of this year, up 20% year-on-year.
Vietnamese furniture and wooden products imported by Japan and Turkey gained more than US$271 million and US$4.97 million, up 20.8% and 20% respectively.
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