JAKARTA - The furniture industry is one sector that has the potential to be developed because it is supported by the availability of natural resources in the country. In the global arena, the national furniture industry is able to be competitive because of its innovative products.
Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that in the first quarter of 2021, the performance of the furniture industry was able to rise and grow positively by 8.04% after experiencing a 7.28% contraction in the same period last year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the sub-sector of the wood industry, wood products, rattan and furniture contributed 2.60% to the growth of the agro-industrial group.
"This means that the furniture and craft industry is proven to have a high level of resilience during a pandemic," he said. In order to further spur productivity and competitiveness, the Ministry of Industry continues to maintain the availability of raw materials and encourage furniture industry players to actively innovate.
The Minister of Industry stated that one of the factors that boosted sales of furniture products during the pandemic, namely the significant shift or reorganization of public household spending, from those for entertainment, tourism or transportation, to the need to organize and renovate homes.
The Ministry of Industry noted that the export value of furniture products (HS 9401-9403) in 2020 reached USD 1.91 billion, an increase of 7.6% from 2019 which reached USD 1.77 billion. The biggest export destinations for Indonesian furniture in 2020 are the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. (LM)