While the Carpet Producers and Exporters Union of Afghanistan (CPEUA) announced the export of up to 1 million square meters of carpets, this year, there are still complaints about the lack of attention to this industry in the country.
They say that lack of attention to this craft was likely to lead to its stagnation.
One of the craftsmen, on condition of anonymity, told The Kabul Times that weaving carpets was not an easy task. “We weave Afghan carpets with difficulty and problems, and we suffer a lot in this industry, but we have no appropriate market for our products.”
According to him, there is a need for this industry to be provided with good markets, to help increase the products on one hand and on the other to elevate the country’s national crafts.
The assertions come after the country’s carpets have highly been offered to the regional and international markets in the name of Pakistan brands.
“We should introduce our own country to the world by offering our national products in the international markets,” he said asking the Islamic Emirate to pay serious attention to the valuable crafts.
The Islamic Emirate should pay attention to the growth of this industry, he said adding the carpet industry could be a great entrepreneurial opportunity in Afghanistan.
Now, the technical workers of the carpet sector in the country, with low payments, have been able to produce the best quality carpets in the world, as the producer said the Afghan carpets, with special values, were very popular in the world markets.
According to the carpet weavers, during the years of Afghan migration to Pakistan, many carpet weaving companies resumed operation, with many Afghans become professional in carpet weaving and producing.
They produced carpets on a monthly and quarterly basis and said regretted that after scissoring and packaging, their carpets were exported to world markets in the name of Pakistan, but added: “Now we want our industries to be in our own hands, own country and own name.”
“The government of the Islamic Emirate must support us in this field,” demanded the producer who didn’t want to be named in a briefing with The Kabul Times.
Although, the carpet industry in Afghanistan grew again, after years of war, and even in many provinces of the country, carpets were offered to the market with the labels and names of these provinces, but lack of attention of previous governments to this lucrative worldwide-known industry caused many carpet weavers to stop operation once again.
The most beautiful and finest carpets in the world are woven and produced in Afghanistan and these carpets are the result of the efforts and hard work of the low-income workers, most of whom are women.
They lay the foundation of the best Afghan carpets by spinning fleece thread being sold for thousands of dollars in world markets.
According to Afghanistan Carpet Producers and Exporters Union (ACPEU), Afghanistan exported one million square meters of carpet in 1400, but, last year, due to increase in unemployment in other fields in the country, the number of carpet weavers increased and more than one million square meters of carpets were produced and exported to different countries.
According to the union, most Afghan carpets are exported to neighboring Pakistan and Europe countries. Meanwhile, some carpet exporters also expressed concern about the lack of flights and the closure of air corridors, and call on the Islamic Emirate to facilitate the export of carpets.
“Air corridors are closed, we do not have visa facilities, we have few exports through Pakistan,” another carpet producer said.
It should be noted that carpet weaving is one of the long-standing professions of some people, especially in the villages in the north of the country, who earn money and support their family.
Amiri
Manufacturers, exporters call for attention to carpet industry
