Official: Carpet Exports Rise 14%

Despite US sanctions and the outbreak of coronavirus, carpet exports have increased by 14% in the current fiscal year (March 2020-21), Farahnaz Rafe’, the chairwoman of Iran National Carpet Center, said on Wednesday. 
Noting that carpet production has registered a 114% growth this year, the official said offering concessional loans with a lending rate of 12% to carpet weavers is a priority. 
“In collaboration with Qarz Al-Hasaneh Mehr Iran Bank, loans worth up to 300 million rials [$1,153] with an interest rate of 4% will be paid for the Complementary Health Insurance of carpet weavers. At present, a total of 261,000 carpet weavers are under the coverage of the Social Security Insurance Organization,” she was quoted as saying by IRNA.
A total of $50 million worth of hand-woven carpet were exported from Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2019-20), registering a 90% decline compared with the previous year.