A total of 20,886 tons of handmade Persian carpets, kilim and gabbeh worth $82.58 million were exported from Iran to 57 countries during the first four months of the current Iranian year (March 20-July 21), according to the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
“Our main export destinations were Afghanistan with around $18 million, Iraq with $17.4 million and Pakistan with $5.42 million. Other main customers of Iranian handmade carpets, kilim and gabbeh were Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, Italy, Kuwait, Kenya, New Zealand, Bahrain, Belgium, Qatar, Thailand, China, France, the UK, India and Denmark,” Rouhollah Latifi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
Kilim is a flat tapestry-woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in Iran, Azerbaijan, the Balkans and the Turkic countries of Central Asia. It can be purely decorative or used as a prayer rug.
Gabbeh or gabba is a traditional variety of Persian carpet.
Latifi noted that the Japanese are particularly interested in Persian gabbeh and are a major exporter of the product.
“During the same four-month period, more than $2.3 million worth of gabbeh were exported to Japan. Iranian exporters of the product say the patterns and colors used in Iranian gabbeh appeal to the Japanese taste,” he said.
A total of $50 million worth of hand-woven carpets were exported from Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2019-20), registering a 90% decline compared with the previous year.
In fact, last year was the worst in decades for Iranian carpet industry, according to the CEO of National Association for Handmade Carpet Producers Cooperatives.
“This decline in exports has many reasons, the main ones being US sanctions as well as the Central Bank of Iran’s requisite for traders to repatriate the foreign currency gained from exports, which significantly increases the risk of trade and discourages exporters,” Abdollah Bahrami was also quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.
The official noted that CBI has imposed this regulation on hand-woven carpet and non-oil exports, and the officials responsible for making this decision must now be held accountable for all the losses suffered by the industry.
As per the directive devised in the wake of a currency crisis in Iran, the government has obliged all exporters to repatriate their foreign currency yields into the economic cycle of the country.
The move is aimed at boosting strained currency reserves in the short run, under increasingly harsh conditions. But it has understandably received negative feedback from private sector players.
“Up until two decades ago, the country used to earn more than $1.5 billion from handmade carpet exports, but at present, we have lost our position as the world’s biggest carpet exporter. It is well known nowadays that when you lose an export market, you can’t easily regain it.”
According to Bahrami, the UAE, China, Germany and South American nations were the main customers of Iranian hand-woven carpets last year.
Iran is looking to finalize a plan based on which identification documents will be issued for hand-woven Persian carpets by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2021), the former head of Iran National Carper Center said.
“The IDs will not only contain information on the physical features of rugs, but also their weaver[s] and patterns,” Farahnaz Rafe’ was also quoted as saying by Mizan Online in May.
The patterns weaved on most Iranian rugs usually narrate a folkloric tale, a historic event or illustrate poems by well-known Persian poets.
Rafe’ noted that the project will begin with the most exquisite and luxurious woven carpets.
