Indonesia’s furniture industry can learn from the example set by China, according to PT Garant Mobel.
The firm said China has managed to address three key problem areas – raw materials management, empowerment of small- and medium-sized businesses and overseas marketing.
It said Chinese furniture products were only half the price of those in Indonesia, even though the country has to source timber from Indonesia.
But recent investigations by environmental groups have alleged that at least 300,000m3 of timber is smuggled from Indonesia to China every month.
PT Garant Mobel’s director Juanda Sidabutar believes the government should encourage use of materials such as MDF instead of solid wood.
