The chairman of Iran's National Carpet Center says hand-woven Iranian carpets constitute 35 percent of the global market for the commodity, Press TV reported.
Mohammad Baqer Aqa-Alikhani said on Saturday that the value of exported hand-woven carpets across the world reached USD 1.35 billion last year, out of which the value of Iranian carpets amounted to USD 427 million.
Aqa-Alikhani noted that Iran's major rivals in the hand-woven carpet global market are India, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan and pointed out that the Islamic Republic can further boost its international market by advertising the Iranian carpet and sending commercial delegations overseas in an attempt to identify new markets.
Carpets are one of the greatest manifestations of the Persian culture and art.
Iran exports carpets to at least 70 countries in the world. Experts attribute the increasingly lucrative market for Persian carpets worldwide to its quality, color and design.
There is an estimated population of 1.2 million carpet weavers in Iran, producing carpets for domestic and international markets.