Egypt’s furniture industry is booming
despite the country having very limited
forest resources. Egypt imports
virtually all its raw materials,
particularly sawnwood. According to
Hardwoodmarkets, total hardwood and
sawnwood imports reached 2.3 million m3
in 2004, down 10% from 2003. Sawnwood
imports fell by 11% but hardwood
sawnwood imports rose by 4.5%. The rise
in hardwood sawnwood imports was mainly
due to expanding furniture production
and exports to European and neighbouring
Arab countries. Market analysts expect
import expansion in both sawnwood and
hardwood sawnwood due to a buoyant
construction sector and flourishing
furniture export markets. In addition,
the strengthening of the Egyptian pound
against the US dollar (5.8 to the US$
compared to 7 in 2004) is lowering
sawnwood and veneer import prices.
Temperate hardwood sawnwood comes mainly
from Romania (162,000 m3, notably beech).
Small amounts of tropical sawnwood come
from West and Central Africa (4,000 m3),
which include khaya, sapele, teak and
samba. Most of the Egyptian furniture is
Louis XIV style due to the influence of
British and French colonial rules. As
the Egyptian furniture industry
increases its reliance on export markets,
it is expected to face a growing need
for higher grade raw materials in order
to meet higher export standards.
