India as the most important rival for Iran’s handwoven carpet

Speaking in an interview he said, “under such circumstances, there are concerns about India’s presence in the international markets.”

China, which once considered as one of Iran’s main rivals in handwoven carpet industry, has currently been turned into the most salient Iran’s new handwoven carpet market, he said, adding, “other countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Nepal are not the chief rivals for Iran’s handwoven carpet.”

Statistics show that Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Nepal could not get the lion’s share of world’s handwoven carpet market, he maintained.

In recent years, India has expanded its influence in Iran’s target markets, he said, adding, “India has considered a number of factors as a trump card, one of these factors is related to the low wage in India.”

Low wage will reduce the cost price of handwoven carpet in India very significantly, he said, adding, “this issue will increase the competitiveness of Indian handwoven carpets in the global markets extremely.”

According to the statistics announced by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Iran’s handwoven carpet export volume hit more than $400 million in the last Iranian calendar year in 1396 (ended March 20, 2018), showing a considerable about 18 percent growth as compared to a year earlier, Kargar opined.

Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland in Europe, America in North America, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar and Lebanon in West Asia and Japan in East Asia are considered traditional Iranian handwoven carpet markets.

Kargar emphasized that China, Russia, South Africa and some Latin American countries are also regarded as Iran’s new handwoven carpet markets.