Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 10
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran exported $202 million worth of handmade carpets in the first eight months of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 21- Nov. 22, 2014), Hamid Kargar, the head of Iran National Carpet Center said.
The figure indicates an increase by 12 percent compared to the same months of preceding year, Kargar said, the country's official IRNA news agency reported Jan. 10.
Te Islamic Republic has exported over 3900 metric tons of handmade carpet in the 8-month period, 24 percent more year on year, he added.
The country exported its hand-made carpets to some 80 countries, Kargar said.
There is an estimated population of one million weavers in Iran producing carpets for domestic markets and international export, the official said, adding of that amount over 700,000 are full-time workers.
The country produces about 5 million square meters of carpets each year of which 80 percent are sold in international markets.
Earlier Kargar said that 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.
The hand-made carpet exports during the last fiscal year(ended on March 21, 2014) declined by 26.35 percent, compared to the preceding year, according to the Iranian Custom Administration's annual report.
The imposition of sanctions on exports of Iranian carpet to the US was very effective in the reduction of carpet exports, Kargar said, adding that economic down-turn in some countries were also an effect.
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