Feysal Mardasi, Iranian Deputy Trade Minister and head of the National
Carpet Center, said in an interview with ITNA that carpet export keeps
rising and by the end of the Iranian year (March 2011) its value will
reach $500 million, Iran.ru reports.
In the first seven months of this year (March 21 - October 22) exports
reached $311 million, which is by 32% more compared with the same
period last year.
Mardasi said that demand for carpets produced by machinery and the
prices for hand-made carpets have risen recently.
Iran produces 32% of the world's hand-made carpets, and it is the
world leader in the sphere. Its main consumers are Germany, Italy, UAE
and Kuwait.
Iran produces 5 million square meters of hand-made carpets annually.
The main competitors are Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. China and
Turkey also produce hand-made carpets but they do no compete with
Iran.
Mardasi said that in the last quarter of this year (December 22, 2010
- March 20, 2011) Iran will have carpet festivals in close cooperation
with professional unions and associations. The main goal is increase
of consumer demand and expansion of sales on interior market. More
active measures will be used to promote Iranian carpets abroad.
Iranian carpets are highly advertised in Germany, Austria and
Switzerland. Specialists hold carpet exhibitions abroad.
