Sharing on the sidelines of the Vietnam ASEAN Furniture and Handicrafts International Fair 2023 (VIFA ASEAN), many wooden furniture and handicraft exporters said that the situation of export orders is starting to show signs of improvement sign of improvement.
VIFA ASEAN 2023 opened on August 29 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC). Although it was held for the first time and in the context of a difficult economic situation, the event still attracted nearly 200 businesses exhibiting with 600 booths and more than 2,000 international visitors registered to visit. In particular, in addition to domestic furniture and handicraft businesses, the fair also brings together businesses from the United States, Korea, China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia… to participate. exhibition house.
Mr. Tran Ngoc Liem, Director of the Vietnam Confederation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Ho Chi Minh City branch, said that the import and export situation of wood products and interior and exterior furniture in Vietnam faces many fluctuations and declines. order reduction in recent times. The export turnover of wood and wood products in the first 7 months of 2023 decreased sharply by 26.4% compared to the same period in 2022, reaching 7.2 billion USD.
However, Mr. Liem said that July is the starting point with very good signals for the wood manufacturing and processing industry. Export turnover in July recorded an increase of 2.8% compared to the previous month, reaching 1.1 billion USD. This is a positive signal for the wood industry.
Notably, there are up to 8 export markets with very high growth rates in the first 7 months of 2023 such as Türkiye increasing by nearly 400%; India increased by 250%, in July alone it grew by 386.8%; Spain increased by 52.6%, Cambodia increased by 50.8%, Chile increased by 120.7%, Cozet increased by 36.6%, Norway increased by 36.7%, Finland increased by 13.6%.
In that context, Mr. Liem assessed that finding orders through fairs is a practical trade promotion activity for businesses. In particular, VIFA ASEAN will help wood industry businesses introduce, promote, and develop product brands, create opportunities to expand markets, and proactively participate in the global production chain.
Talking to Customs Magazine, many businesses exhibiting at the fair such as Hiep Long Joint Stock Company, MP Crafts Joint Stock Company, BHWH Company, Hoang Thong… also said that the order situation has begun to improve gradually. go up. Inventories in markets decreased and customers started placing new orders. Businesses also said that after participating in the VIFA EXPO fair in March 2023, many new orders were successfully signed with new customers, helping to compensate for the decrease in orders due to the impact of the pandemic the general difficult situation of the world economy. With these signals, businesses expect that by the end of the year, the decline will be significantly narrowed compared to the high comparative background of 2022.