Iran exported $314 million of hand-woven rugs last year (ending March 21, 2014), with the industry remaining popular with foreign markets, Hamid Kargar, the head of Iran’s National Carpet Center (INCC) said on Friday. Iranian hand-woven carpets are one of the mainstays of the country’s resurgent economy, Kargar said, adding they are inextricably interwoven with entrepreneurship and creating currency inflow. Kargar called on the government to help the sector to fulfill its potential and boost exports further. “The private sector and the government should work together to tackle issues of the domestic carpet industry,” he insisted. Based on official reports, Iran exports $500 million worth of hand-woven carpets annually and accounted for 25-27 percent of the world’s hand-woven rugs markets, with close to 2.3 million people being directly involved in the domestic carpet industry.
