More than 100 businesses attended the webinar Vietnam - India Cooperation in the Wood and Furniture Sector: Substantial Connection, Expanding Cooperation, Promoting Export.

In his opening speech, Mr. Bui Trung Thuong, Commercial Counselor, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in India, emphasized the potential for cooperation in the wood and furniture industry.

Vietnam is one of the world’s five largest exporters of wooden furniture, with strong production capacity, skilled labor and a complete supply chain. Meanwhile, India has a large market, a large population, a growing middle class and an increasing demand for high-quality furniture. The two countries can complement each other: Vietnam provides products and designs; India is the consumption market and investment cooperation.

Mr. Rajesh Bhagat, Chairman of Worldex India, the organizer of WOFX – World Furniture Expo, appreciated the efforts of the Trade Office in connecting businesses. He said that the Indian furniture market is the fourth largest in the world, growing rapidly thanks to the shift from nuclear to multi-generational families (increasing from 37% in 2008 to 50% in 2022), leading to the demand for personalized and convenient furniture. This is a great opportunity for businesses of the two countries to cooperate.

Next, Mr. Ngo Sy Hoai, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association (VIFOREST), presented the potential for Vietnam's wood exports to India. In 2024, the turnover reached 209 million USD, ranking third after China and Malaysia. As members of the AITIGA Agreement, the two countries need to increase the localization rate to over 35% to enjoy tax incentives. He recommended importing wood from India (teak, eucalyptus), participating in trade fairs and exchanging information on wood traceability.

Regarding policies and regulations in India, Mr. Alok Kumar Sinha, Director of BSR Auditing Company, said that the Indian furniture market will reach 27 billion USD by 2024, the fourth largest globally and the second largest in the Asia-Pacific region. Growth is driven by infrastructure, real estate, urbanization, young population, middle class and tourism and hotel industry. Mr. Akshay, representative of the financial company, introduced investment incentives and related taxes. Ms. Ridhima Mehta, tax expert of KPMG consulting company, provided information on BIS certification, a mandatory requirement for industrial products imported into India.

Cooperation through specialized fairs, Mr. Nguyen Hoai Bao, Vice President and General Secretary of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA), presented cooperation opportunities through fairs such as HAWA and WOFX, creating conditions to connect businesses of the two countries.

Representatives of two major furniture importers in India, Mr. Pratik Thakkar (from Trezurô Casa brand) and Mr. Mahesh M (Creaticity Company), shared about the Indian market trends including popular products: minimalist living room furniture, eco-friendly, minimalist design and materials suitable for local climate and living habits. The Q&A session focused on market potential, import regulations, design requirements, packaging and fairs such as WOFX, Creaticity Expo, HAWA fair.

During the Q&A session at the end of the program, Vietnamese businesses asked many specific questions, demonstrating their careful preparation and practical needs in understanding the Indian market. The questions focused on: Import and certification procedures for wood products; furniture consumption preferences in urban areas; suitable distribution channels and the role of distributors in India; how to effectively participate in fairs such as WOFX and HAWA Expo.

The workshop provided practical information, helping Vietnamese enterprises build product and distribution strategies in India. Enterprises highly appreciated the quality of information and hoped that the Trade Office would organize more events on technical regulations, BIS inspection and certification in India, and how to build a distribution network. The Vietnam Trade Office in India is committed to continuing to organize similar workshops, supporting enterprises to improve their competitiveness, contributing to achieving the trade turnover target of 20 billion USD by 2030, following the direction from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh 's visit to India. Interested enterprises are encouraged to participate in the following events to seize cooperation opportunities in the wood and furniture industry.

---

Source: Vietnam Trade Office in India

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/thi-truong-nuoc-ngoai/hon-100-doanh-nghiep-tham-du-webinar-hop-tac-viet-nam-an-do-trong-linh-vuc-go-va-noi-that-ket-noi-thuc-chat-mo-rong-hop-.html