Wednesday, November 7, 2007

5 million Active in Carpet Industry

5m Active in Carpet Industry


Villagers will earn some extra money and fill their leisure time in non-agricultural seasons by weaving carpets.

Head of National Carpet Center has announced that handwoven Persian carpets ranked third among Iran’s export items after oil and petrochemical products.
Morteza Faraji further stated that five million Iranians are involved in the handmade carpet industry, IRNA reported. “No industry in the country creates job for such large number of the people,“ he noted.
Highlighting the importance of the industry, the official stated that people in rural areas will earn money and fill their leisure time in non-agricultural seasons by weaving carpets.
Faraji stressed that the industry needs the support of all Iranians to survive.
Meanwhile, a senior commercial official said that a draft bill on protection of and legal support for design of carpets is now being drawn up.
Head of the Commercial Studies and Research Institute Mahmoud Dodangeh said the bill is aimed at providing legal support for handwoven Persian carpets design and motif overseas.
Once approved, the bill would deal with imitation of Iranian carpets and their presentation to the market under the name of Persian carpets, said the official.
Weavers from China, India and Pakistan have recently imitated the features of Persian carpets and sold them in the name of various Iranian tribes, he added.
Features of Persian carpets, such as the motifs, warps and woofs and knots, depend on the geography of the area, where they are woven, he said.
Dodangeh said that such imitation would mislead foreign customers and make them lose confidence in Persian carpets, he noted. In the long-run, this would also be detrimental to the country’s original carpet-weaving craft, concluded the official.