Chairman of the Committee on Carpet, Handicrafts and Tourism of Iran’s Cooperative Chamber on Handwoven Exports said that $420 million worth of handmade carpets were exported last year and $30 million was exported in the first four months of the current Iranian year (started March 21).
Speaking at a meeting of outlining handicrafts department’s plans to reduce dependence on oil by referring to the history of carpet production and crafts in the country, Abdollah Bahrami noted that this sector has a high capacity and with proper planning can serve as a substitute for oil exports.
He added that there are two million carpet weavers in the country and there is a production capacity of 6 million square meters of handmade carpets annually and can achieve up to $3 billion worth of Iranian carpet export.
The head of the Union of Handmade Carpets announced the most important export destination of Iran carpet is Germany, the UAE, South Africa, Japan, and China.
The Ancient Art Co-operative director Morteza Mortazavi also stated at the meeting that handicrafts are mostly home-made, and now there are 6,100 workshops in the country, with more than 5,000 people working in them.
Mortazavi noted that according to the figures, one million barrels of oil are exported daily, from which $6 million is injected into the treasury, while 10,000 handicrafts can generate $6 million.
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