TEHRAN, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran's machine-made carpet producers are seeking a revival of the business by boosting international market share, Financial Tribune daily reported on Saturday.
The industry has slipped into recession due to decline of domestic buyer's purchase power and the long-term western sanctions, Meysam Navabipour, an expert on machine-made carpets, was quoted as saying.
There is still room for growth with the country's carpet output, as the figure stands presently at 80-85 million square meters, while the annual production capacity is between 120 and 130 million square meters, he said.
Currently, 25-30 percent of the domestic machine-made carpets are exported to Arab countries, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Russia, China and Australia.
The producers are seeking to open up new international markets to improve their business, he added.
Navabipour also mentioned the necessity for Iranian producers to gear style and design catering to the taste of their target markets.
Also, the technology should be updated for the industry to remain competitive against their regional counterparts, he added.
According to Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, about 55,500 tons of machine-made carpets worth 306.5 million U.S. dollars were exported from Iran in the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2017, registering a 4.3 percent rise in weight but 8.9 percent decrease in value year on year.
