Azerbaijan, Baku, Sep. 18/ Trend, R. Zamanov
Iran exported $86 million worth of handmade carpets in the first five months of the current calendar year (which started on March 21), Director of Iran's National Carpet Center Mohammad Baqer Aqa-Alijani said on Tuesday.
"The amount shows a 40 per cent decrease compared to the same period of time the previous year," the Fars News Agency quoted Aqa-Alijani as saying.
He went on to note that the 22th edition of Iran Handmade Carper Exhibition will kick off in Tehran on September 23.
"Some 110 foreign guests from Japan, China, Lebanon, Germany, Switzerland, England, Denmark, Brazil, Tajikistan, Turkey, France, New Zealand, Uruguay, Austria, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Romania, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Indonesia will take part in the event," he added.
Deputy Director of Iran's National Carpet Center Mojtaba Feizollahi said earlier this month that Russia, Malaysia, South Africa, and China now buy Iranian carpets.
He also said that the center is planning to export carpets to other countries, including Qatar and the UAE, the Fars News Agency reported.
Dispatching trade delegations to different countries and establishing commercial centers overseas is on the agenda to expand carpet sales, he said.
According to Iranian Jahanesanat newspaper, Iran has exported some 24.910 million Euros worth of handmade carpets to the EU during the first half of the current year; meanwhile their value stood at 29.840 million Euros during the first six months of last year.
Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and the UK were the main European importers of Iran's handmade carpets during the period, the report said.
On July 28, Iranian Press TV reported that Iranian carpets account for 35 percent of the global carpet market.
The value of exported handmade carpets across the world reached $1.35 billion last year, out of which the value of Iranian carpets amounted to $427 million.
Iran exports carpets to at least 70 countries.
There is an estimated population of 1.2 million carpet weavers in Iran, producing carpets for domestic and international markets.