Cane furniture makers are struggling to survive, as dominance of brands and cheap household plastic products have literally got them out of the scene, industry people say.
The business has been shrinking over the years, although cane products still have demand in both local and international markets because of their durability and attractive designs.
People still look for them to decorate their bed rooms and living rooms while posh hotels and resorts also use them for decoration in keeping with the tastes of their high-end customers.
Dearth of capital and artisans and import dependence for cane are some of the hindrances plaguing the sector, industry people have said.
Expressing frustration, they say the number of cane furniture makers has been decreasing over the years due to capital shortage along with scarcity of raw materials and dwindling number of artisans.
Once there were more than 40 showrooms of cane furniture at different places in the city, which has declined to only 15 now in areas including Panthapath, Greenroad, Banani Chairmanbari, Rampura and Mirpur.
“Almost all businessmen in the sector have been suffering from capital shortage as their ventures need a huge investment to compete with other furniture brands (wooden, plastic and board),” MA Hasem, proprietor of Red Rose Cane Furniture at Banani, has told Dhaka Tribune.
Talking to this correspondent, entrepreneurs in the sector have said high production cost and lack of promotional drives are threatening the survival of the industry, let alone their growth.
“Our production cost is higher than that of other local brands, as we are solely dependent on expert artisans, in contrast to modern machines used by other furniture brands,” says Zakir Hossain, proprietor of Shajalal Cane Furniture Gallery of Panthapath.
People running the wooden and other types of furniture business have a huge investment, unlike people in cane furniture. Only a few people with limited capital base are running their businesses, Hashem mentions.
“Besides, this sector doesn’t get any logistic and fiscal supports from the government. Lack of proper support and unwillingness of corporate houses to invest in the sector are some other reasons responsible for losing the past glory of cane furniture,” he adds.
Zakir Hossain says once the sector had a good reputation for its unique quality and competitive prices, but now it is a dying industry.
“Since 1982 my family has been with the business and I myself have been in the trade for the last 12 years. I have seen many big companies quitting their business in the last one decade," he recalls.
Present state of cane furniture business
People of the upper and middle classes, with a taste for artistic things, have been the users of cane furniture.
In the past, cane was abundant in many regions, although it was not cultivated commercially as they used to grow naturally.
In the forests of Sylhet and Chittagong, plenty of natural cane was available. However, over the years the cane production has declined noticeably.
“At present, almost 90% cane is being imported as the locally grown cane, being low quality, is not sufficient to cater to the market demand,” Zakir points out.
“In our factory, we only use local cane for making crafts type furniture which is only 10 percent of our total production line. We usually import cane from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam," he says.
“Besides, only two business houses import canes and sometimes they intentionally increase the prices of the materials through syndication," he alleges.
None in the country is involved in cane production commercially, industry people say.
At present only 10-12 small companies are involved in the cane furniture business.
Md Sohel, manager of Red Rose Cane Furniture at Banani, says the number of showrooms has decreased over the years as the owners failed to cope with the soaring cost of business. As a result, day by day they became discouraged to run their businesses.
“The cane furniture sector is on the verge of collapse. We are already facing difficulties in making both ends meet," a frustrated Sohel says.
Who buy cane furniture
To attract the customers, manufacturers keep trying to remodel their products with new designs and sizes.
Almost all household furniture items including sofa, chair, rocking chair, bed, and cupboard are available in the cane furniture showrooms based in the capital Dhaka.
Zakir Hossain says cane products are in great demand throughout the world, especially in Asia and the Europe. The demand for well processed, good quality canes are going up in the world markets.
“Once it was exported to many countries, particularly to England. But at present very small quantity cane-made products is exported”, he mentions.
Masum Ahmed, manager of Troyee Cane Furniture Mart, says cane furniture has a good demand among foreigners living in the capital.
“We have specific clients and high-end income group people with artistic minds," he says.
Moreover, the demand for cane furniture has been increasing in the posh hotel, resorts and restaurants.
“To give a tough of natural ambience, many people prefer cane furniture in their offices too," says Zebrul Hossain, manager of Shajalal Cane Furniture Gallery.
“To promote our business, we are now active in social media and 70 percent of our products are now being sold online platforms," he adds.
Problems hurting the business
Lack of government financial and institutional supports and instability of market demand are the major problems facing the sector. Most of the enterprises are medium and small in sizes. They don’t have enough capital to expand their businesses. The furniture makers suffer from lack of financial facilities like short-term or long-term loan.
As cane is not cultivated commercially in the country, there always remains an inconsistency in supply of raw materials. Besides, the price of cane and other chemicals used in furniture are gradually increasing in foreign markets day by day, forcing entrepreneurs to leave their existing business.
Besides, most of the businesspersons involved in the sector do not have updates on modern technology for improving production quality, and thus lagging behind in the race with wooden furniture brands.
Because of low wage in the sector, many labours switch on to other jobs, creating a shortage of skilled workers in the sector.
Threats of substitute furniture products like plastic furniture which are sold at much lower prices than those of cane-made products, many customers opt for the cheap ones.
Way forward
Despite having many problems, the entrepreneurs in the sector are optimistic as they see a huge potential of their business if government patronizes the industry.
The entrepreneurs have demanded long-term loan facilities so that they can expand their investment, and compete with giant local wooden furniture brands.
Zakir Hossain says the sector could be one of the major foreign currency earners if the government would give them incentives for participating in the international fairs.
“For lack of international marketing, we cannot promote our business outside the country," he says.
To reduce dependency on external sources for supply of raw materials, the government should ensure sustainable supply of quality raw material by raising cane plantation in forest areas, he demands.
