Afghanistan’s carpet exports reach $7.5 million in five months

KABUL (TOLOnews): The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that Afghanistan exported carpets worth $7.5 million dollars in the past five months.

According to Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, most of these carpets have been exported to neighboring countries and Europe.

The spokesman told TOLOnews: “During the first five months of 2024, more than two million kilograms of carpets worth $7.5 million dollars were exported to countries including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Italy, Turkey, the United States, India, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, China, and other countries.”

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Carpet Union said that if the challenges faced by traders in the visa issuance process are addressed and air corridors are activated, the volume of carpet exports will increase further. The union reported a 7% increase in carpet sales abroad compared to last year.

Noor Ahmad Noori, the head of the Afghanistan Carpet Union, told TOLOnews: “Due to the efforts of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the leadership of the Afghanistan Carpet Union, the sales of Afghan carpets in Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Central Asian countries have increased. This means that compared to last year, domestic sales have also increased by 7% this year due to the efforts of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Carpet Union.”

Meanwhile, a number of carpet sellers in the capital said that due to certain challenges, they are forced to sell some of their carpets to Pakistani traders at a lower price, who then export Afghanistan’s products to European countries and the US under the name of Pakistan.

According to carpet sellers, Afghan women, especially women from the northern part of the country, weave the finest carpets in the world.

“We have problems in sales; we export most of our carpets to Pakistan, and Pakistani traders export these carpets to European countries under the name of Pakistan,” Ghulam Ali Shirzad, a carpet seller, told TOLOnews.

“These carpets are made from pure sheep wool and are hand-woven, meaning no chemical materials are used in these carpets. These carpets are not produced by machines and are woven by Afghan women by hand,” said Makhdoom Quli, a carpet seller.

The Afghanistan Carpet Union has always emphasized the need to participate in national and international carpet industry exhibitions, stating that if the problems in the visa issuance process for traders are addressed and air corridors are activated, the country’s carpet exports to various countries will increase.