 By Correspondent Nasser Kigwangallah
Some local furniture users have appealed to the
government to control their importation because they claim that most of them were of poor quality and below the required standard.
They are arguing that if the current trend is not checked, the country could become a dumping ground for sub-standard furniture.
A random survey conducted by the Sunday Observer this week, covering various furniture marts in Dar es Salaam, has shown that many people have expressed misgivings about imported furniture, claiming that it was of poor quality and that its durability was questionable.
Juma Manka, a furniture trader at Keko Mwanga, said that imported furniture could not be compared to locally manufactured furniture.
“We use perfect handicraft, elegant and outstanding designs which make local furniture durable and last longer than the foreign variety,“ he said.
He said that locally manufactured furniture is made from pure and indigenous selected timber that is abundant in the country.
Manka said on the other hand, foreign furniture is made of fiberboard and artificial timber, which can be easily attacked by rodents and ants, unless they are well treated by insecticides.
A manager of a local firm, Lakshmi Narayana, said that he has suffered a great loss by purchasing two four-door cupboards from furniture shop in the city, one for the office and the other one for his residence.
He said after hardly three months, ants ate up the cupboards, but his complaints to the authorities of the mart from which he bought them ignored him.
Narayana said the authorities told him bluntly that their duty was simply to import and sell the items, the quality of which was not of their concern.
He advised customers to be extra careful before making purchases, by not being overwhelmed by the attractive outlook of furniture on display.
He suggested that it was better to buy locally made furniture because of their durability.
Hui- Li, the director of a furniture importation enterprise, dismissed as baseless, sweeping claims that all imported furniture was sub-standard.
He said he has been selling imported furniture for the last three years and no one has ever complained to him that his furniture was of poor quality.
He said factors like water and excessive heat could make a particular item lose its beauty and strength.
He advised people to keep their furniture away from the wall where insects are based and could easily attack and eat the contents of the item.
