Hand-Made Carpet Exports of Iran Have Declined by 17.75 Percent in First 10 Months

Hand-made carpet exports from Iran have declined by 17.75 percent in first 10 months of the ongoing Iranian calendar year which started on March 20, 2012, IRNA News Agency reported.
 
Iran exported only around US$ 361 million worth of hand-made carpets during the period under review. The exports were mainly headed towards China, Russia, Indonesia and South Africa.
 
Looking to tap a year-on-year rise of 100 percent over last year’s US$ 500 million worth of hand-made carpet exports, Iran had targeted to achieve US$ 1 billion in hand-made carpet exports by end of the ongoing calendar year.
 
Last year, the volume of carpet exports from Iran decreased by 15.4 percent year-on-year, but rose by 0.8 percent in terms of value, according to Customs Administration data.
 
In spite of several economic sanctions, Iran’s hand-made carpets are exported to 80 countries across the world with Germany, UAE, Switzerland, Japan, USA and Italy being the key export destinations.
 
According to experts, Iran’s carpet exports are generally faster during the second-half of calendar year compared to the first half.
 
During last calendar year, Iranian carpet exports contributed about 24 percent of the world’s total carpet trade.