Availability of raw material

More than 80% of Pakistan’s furniture is dependant on Sheesham, also called rosewood. In the last five years, the Forestry department has noted that the reserves of Sheesham have decreased by 50%. Sheesham is getting extinct day by day. Due to its shortage in the market, its prices are increasing everyday. Currently, very few exporters are using other woods as a substitute for Sheesham, but their use is gradually increasing. Still the use of substitutes is limited because these woods are also scarcely available. Also, the exporters are not very much aware of their usage and treatment. At the same time, the use of imported woods is increasing. Duty structure has reduced considerably. However, those companies that are using imported timber believe that the reduced duty structure has not affected the price structure a lot. The dealers have kept the same prices, with the justification that the prices have increased in the international market, freight rates have increased and dollar value has increased, etc. The industry should assess the demand and import wood in bulk.