Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.24
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran exported $166 million of handmade carpets in the first seven months of the current year, a 14 percent rise year on year.
The head of Iran National Carpet Center, Hamid Kargar, said exports of Iranian handmade carpet have been declining over the past three years, so that the figure fell from $500 million ten year ago to $314 million last year, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported Nov.24.
The imposition of sanctions on exports of Iranian carpet to the U.S. was very effective in the reduction of carpet exports, he said, adding that economic down-turn in some countries were also an effect.
The current Iranian year began on March 21.
The country exported its hand-made carpets to some 80 countries during the last year. Germany, UAE, Japan, Lebanon, Italy, the UK, Pakistan, Qatar, Switzerland and Sweden topped the list of the countries that imported Iran's carpets in the mentioned period.
Iran also exported some $51,000 worth of hand-made carpets to the USA.
Deputy Director of Iran National Carpet Center Mojtaba Feuzollahi said on Feb. 17 that European countries account for 48 percent of Iran's total carpet exports.
"Iran still remains the world's top carpet exporter," Feyzollahi said.
There is an estimated population of 1.2 million weavers in Iran producing carpets for domestic markets and international export.
The country produces about 5 million square meters of carpets each year of which 80 percent are sold in international markets.