Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.13/ Trend F.Milad/
Iran exported carpets worth $116.5 million during the first four months of the current year, which began on March 20, showing a 12-percent drop compared to the same period in last year, the Pana News Agency quoted the head of the Carpet Corporation stated.
Mohammad-Reza Abed added that the economic slowdown in Europe has negatively affected the exports of Iranian carpets.
He referred to UAE, Germany, Lebanon, and Brazil as the main destinations for Iranian carpets.
Iran exported handmade carpets worth over $560 million to 80 countries in last calendar year.
According to the Customs Administration data, carpet exports last year rose by 0.8 percent in value, but decreased by 15.4 percent in weight, compared to the year before.
Iran has developed plans to export as much as $1 billion worth of carpets in the current calendar year, the head of the National Carpet Center said on April 7.
"Carpets are of great importance in non-oil exports of the Islamic Republic," Baqer Aqa-Alikhani said, adding that boosting carpet exports to UAE and China has been highlighted, the Mehr News Agency reported.