| 'Hand-knotted carpet exports showed resilience in last three years'
Hand-knotted carpet exports have shown resilience in the last three years, despite declining trend in the United States and the European Union markets due to new exports avenues explored by the exporters during the last few years, said exporters on Monday.
He said a large number of active carpet exporters from Pakistan participated at a recent international exhibition in China.
Pervaiz Hanif, former chairman of Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA), said new export markets were developed at a slower pace than the decline in carpet exports to already established markets.
The exports to the United States, he said, have shrunk from a peak of $92 million to around $40 million and are still declining.
This stability is due to additional carpet markets explored during the last one decade, including Turkey in Europe, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras in Central America and Brazil and Argentine in South America. The export volume, he said, stayed around $130 million during the last two years and is expected to remain in the same range this year, he added.
The markets in the West would continue to decline as most of the growth has now shifted to Asia and Africa, he added.
The number of active carpet exporters, he said, has declined from over 1,000 at the start of the century to around 65 or even less. However he cautioned that it would take a few years before the Chinese market starts delivering.
Turkey still has potential for growth, but the Central and South American markets have matured, he said, adding that these new markets now account for 30 percent of Pakistani hand-knotted exports.
The new markets discovered to date have limited potential, he said, adding that the real potential is in China where the newly emerging affluent class has appetite for hand-knotted carpets, which are a symbol of affluence in the society.
Once the Chinese potential is fully exploited the demand for Pakistani carpets would rise sharply, he said, adding that till then, the carpet manufacturers would have to fight to retain the highly skilled carpet weaving workforce engaged. 'Hand-knotted carpet exports showed resilience in last three years' |
Tuesday 15 May 2012
'Hand-knotted carpet exports showed resilience in last three years'
