Furniture exports have amounted to 3.8 billion pounds by the end of November, exceeding the annual target goal by 17 pct, the head of the council on exporting furniture Said Ahmed said. \"The achievement comes despite heavy protectionist customs on yarns and a ban on importing Short-staple cotton,\" Ahmed said. Continuing to impose protectionist customs will hamper the industry\'s competitiveness because locally produced yarns are not always high quality and are very expensive, added Ahmed.