More than 412 exhibitors from 55 countries are participating at the ongoing Dubai WoodShow, a three-day international trade exposition on wood products, machine tools and woodworking technologies.

The 13th edition of Dubai WoodShow, which concludes today (March 14) at the Dubai World Trade Centre includes six country pavilions – Canada, China, Finland, Russian Federation, Turkey and the US.

“Exhibitions such as Dubai WoodShow are very important to our economy that showcase the latest technology, innovation in the industry,” said Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Cabinet Member and Minister of Infrastructure Development, said following the inauguration of the event. “The wood industry is a very important value-add sector in our economy and I am pleased with such a wonderful exhibition taking place in Dubai.”

Gabonese Minister of Forest and Environment Pacome Moubelet Bouyeba said: “We are a major supplier of wood and this exhibition offers a great insight into our industry. I am amazed to see the wide variety of displays and offerings, products and services at the show that all stakeholders could take advantage of.

“We are a country where 88 per cent of the land is covered with forest – that helps the wood industry to produce $1 billion revenues a year. I have attended a large number of wood exhibitions. However, Dubai WoodShow offers the best technologies and products and services. I am amazed at what I have seen in this exhibition.”

Organised by Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions, the event works as an industry barometer on the overall woodworking market and the induction of new concepts, ideas and technologies. More than 10,000 trade visitors are expected to participate at the international event – including visitors from the GCC and other markets to source the latest products, services, machineries as well as renew their existing trade relations.

Dawood Al Shezawi, president of Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions, said: “Dubai WoodShow provides an important gateway for wood and timber traders, woodworking machineries suppliers, furniture and joineries to take advantage of the latest technologies and innovations in the industry – which is changing very fast.

“The massive construction activities in the GCC, especially in Dubai that are driven by Expo 2020-related infrastructure and projects – will continue to drive demand for wood products and we expect to see the wood import and export value to exceed Dh4 billion ($1.09 billion) recorded in 2016 – in the following years.

“We are pleased to bring more than 412 exhibitors from 55 countries and expect the visitor turnout to exceed that of the previous editions of Dubai WoodShow – that has created an important benchmark for the industry.”

The UAE’s Dh4 billion wood and wood products trade will get a solid growth push from the Dh285 billion real estate transactions in Dubai’s real estate sector in 2017 as the emirate sees more than 50,000 new homes are delivered in the emirate in 2017 and 2018.

According to the International Trade Statistics – a global gateway, the UAE’s total trade in wood and wood products reached $1.1 billion (Dh4 billion) in 2016, including $920.21 million (Dh3.37 billion) worth of imports and $185.88 million worth of exports.

This is part of the Dh1.56 trillion worth of external trade recorded by the UAE in 2016. The total volume of non-oil foreign trade in the UAE was about 232.7 million tonnes, of which 101.3 million tonnes were weight of imports, 112.9 million tonnes were weight of exports and 18.6 million tonnes was weight of re-exports.

Demand for wood, wood products and woodworking industry is expected to grow further due to the ongoing construction projects the value of which in September 2017 reached $252.7 billion (Dh927.4 billion), according to BNC Network, there were 7,531 projects.

According to a latest Ventures Middle East market research, the size of spending in the GCC countries in terms of home decoration and decoration rose from $15.5 billion in 2016 to more than $17.7 billion in 2017, giving the exhibition an added advantage as it brings together the world's largest manufacturers of furniture, wood products and furniture fittings worldwide to meet the Local and regional market needs.

A large number of businessmen active in the same field are expected to visit the exhibition, in line with the growth of trade and development.

Dubai WoodShow runs along with Dubai International Furniture, Accessories and Components and Semi-Furnished Products Show (Difac), which is specialised in the field of furniture and machines for the manufacture of wood products and accessories. It also brings more than 300 exhibitors covering 17,000 sq m of net occupied exhibition space at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and attracting the world's largest companies. – TradeArabia News Service