Iran has a special plan for exporting handicrafts to the five major emerging national economies, known as BRICS, and China in particular, a senior official at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) said.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, general director of the organization’s Handicrafts Exports Department Pouya Mahmoudian said the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are untapped and potentially profitable markets for Iranian handicrafts.
“Among the BRICS, China is very important to us,” she said, adding that Iran is planning to facilitate handicrafts exports to the East Asian country.
Mahmoudian went on to say that boosting exports to Islamic countries is also on the agenda of ICHHTO.
Iran has a long tradition of producing artisanal goods, including Persian carpets, ceramics, copperware, brassware, glass, leather goods, textiles and wooden artifacts such as ‘Khatam’ - art forms made by decorating the surface of wooden articles with delicate pieces of wood, bone and metal precisely cut into geometrical shapes.
In 2012, Iran’s handicraft exports amounted to more than $700.
