Largely driven by their demand for wooden furniture, industry predicts Malaysia's furniture exports are set to increase 7 to 9% this year, at the recently concluded Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) 2007.
At present 80% of total exports are from wooden furniture, mainly rubberwood. Malaysia is the ninth leading exporter of furniture in the world, with an export value of $2.28 billion in 2006.
One issue with this prediction is Malaysia's reliance on the US (up to a third of it exports). The US currently has a surplus of homes in the market, whilst other issues raise from rising mortgage prices, which could decrease credit for consumers.
