A confab was held in Tehran with the aim of assessing export opportunities in the Iranian carpet market and ways to export the product to China, which has been a rival for Iranian carpets in recent years in international markets.
The event, held in the week, was attended by Majid Reza Hariri, deputy of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, and Bijan Namvar Motlagh, deputy of handicrafts of the cultural heritage and tourism organization.
During a speech at the exhibition, Hariri said, “When it comes to handicrafts, the lack of knowledge and commercial management are evident. This causes the shortcomings in the field to stand out even further.”
The official clarified that the export of handicrafts must not be reliant on the government. “Almost everywhere in the world, those who create handicrafts are usually small businesses owners.”
Hariri compared the Chinese market with the Iranian market, saying that minimum wage in China is almost three times more than that in Iran. “The higher pay rates have resulted in an increase in prices,” he said.
In recent years, China has focused on the trade of electronics, technologies, and hi-tech gadgets. China has now a vision to increase imports by 2.5 times, Hariri noted. “Imports will not be limited to energy and raw materials.”
He said Iran aims to increase exports of handicrafts among other products and the recent change in the Chinese economy could potentially provide an export market for Iranian handicrafts.
The official stressed that merchants should refrain from exporting low-quality products to China. “The focus needs to be shifted to luxury items,” he said as a strategy that would enable Iranian carpets to easily enter the Chinese market.
The official talked of long-term plans for handicraft markets and stated that specialized exhibitions in the field of handicrafts are to be held in China in the near future.
