KABUL (Pajhwok): Carpet exports recorded a 55 percent increase in 1401 solar year compared to the previous year and the number of people involved in the industry also increased, Afghanistan’s Carpets Production and Exports Association said.
Noor Ahmad Noori, the association head, told Pajhwok Afghan News about 800,000 meter square of carpets were exported to foreign countries in 1400 solar year.
He said in 1401 solar year, the amount of exports to foreign countries reached over 1.2 million square meter, showing a 55 percent surge.
The bulk of carpets of Afghanistan were exported to the United States, European countries, Turkey and Pakistan.
Due to high level of unemployment in the country, more people turned to carpet weaving business, he said.
According to Noori, one million people were busy in carpets weaving business in 1400 and the number surged to 1.2 million in 1401 solar year.
He said: “From 60 to 65 percent of the carpets are produced in northern zone of Afghanistan, but because of continuous droughts during the past three years and high unemployment rate in the northern parts of the country, more people have switched to carpet weaving business”.
Saliha Ghulami, owner of four carpet weaving centers, told Pajhwok Afghan News many people had started carpet weaving business recently.
Ghulami invested $40,000 in four carpet weaving centers about 11 months ago and has employed 400 women to weave carpets.
She said before these women would weave carpets in their houses and when she established carpet weaving centers, she hired 100 craftswomen in every center.
Ghulami added: “I opened the carpet weaving centers because the doors of schools and universities remain shut for girls and many women were unemployed so they could work in carpet weaving centers”.
These women are paid 3,000 afs for weaving of every square meter of rugs, she said.
“I have hired women who were once employed in the past but then became jobless, girls who were studying at universities now have switched to carpet weaving profession” Ghulami said.
Ghulami said 100 square meters of carpet was produced in a month in all these four carpet weaving centers and then sold to other companies.
Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC), told Pajhwo, that the ministry was providing all kinds of support to the carpet weaving industry.
Jawad sai the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) assisted carpet weavers in importing raw material and exporting their products to foreign countries.
He also said in 1400 solar year 800,000 square meters of carpets were exported to foreign countries compared 1.2 million square meters in 1401.
Rug exports record 55 per cent increase in solar year 1401
