‘Carpet Supreme Council’ soon to be revived in Iran’s Ministry of Industry
Senior advisor warns of declining carpet exports
Yahya Ale Eshaq, a senior advisor to the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade, said on Monday that the ministry in President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government pays special attention to the country’s carpet industry, and the “Carpet Supreme Council” is set to be revived.
“The Carpet Supreme Council is set to be revived with a new approach, focusing solely on four areas: policymaking, guidance, oversight, and support. However, in reality, the revival of handmade carpets is impossible without the operational and real presence of economic actors; if the administration of this industry remains solely in the hands of the government, the same past results will be repeated. Instead, we must organize structures in such a way that private sector actors, cooperatives, producers, designers, exporters, and all real stakeholders in this field are the main players,” Ale Eshaq said.
“The new approach of this council is to focus on the presence of economic stakeholders and solving the problems of the carpet industry; a change in perspective is needed, and the government must move towards its sovereign and regulatory duties; otherwise, we will have no boom in carpet production and trade,” he added.
The senior advisor said the total volume of Iran’s carpet exports amounts to 40 million dollars, adding that the problems is with foreign currency allocation and the Central Bank must pay special attention to the carpet industry.
“Currently, many exporters have exported carpets to European countries and have encountered problems due to sanctions and our country’s laws, and their accounts are now blocked,” he said. “In the early 1990s, we had $2 billion in carpet exports and 2 million people employed in the carpet industry, but now these export figures have decreased.”
Ale Eshaq said Iranian hand-woven carpets, with a history spanning several millennia, have always played a significant role in culture, art, job creation, and production.
“During their heyday, they managed to secure the top position globally in terms of exports. At one point, Iran’s hand-woven carpet exports exceeded two billion dollars, which is a brilliant record for our country,” he underlined.
“Unfortunately, in recent years, due to the oppressive US sanctions, as well as some cumbersome laws in the hand-knotted carpet sector and shortcomings in the management and development of this sector, we have witnessed a significant decline in the global standing of Iranian carpets.”
Taking to task the neglect of the carpet industry, Ale Eshaq said, “While Iran is involved in hundreds of billions of dollars in economic interactions, an annual carpet export of 40 million dollars is regrettable. This figure is much lower than our capacities and historical background, and if not taken seriously, Iranian carpets will be marginalized.”