Iran’s handmade carpet exports hit $380 million

TEHRAN, Jan.17(MNA) - Iran exported some $380 million worth of handmade carpets in the first nine months of the current calendar year, which began on March 21, 2011, the head of Iran's National Carpet Center said. The exports amounted to 4,800 tons in weight, Feysal Merdasi said. The United Arab Emirates and Germany were the main destinations for the Persian carpet, followed by Japan, Lebanon, and Qatar, Merdasi added. He predicted that Iran’s handmade carpet exports in the current Iranian calendar year would hit $600 million. Iran exported $556 million worth of handmade carpets in the previous calendar year, up 12 percent year on year. The amount showed some 4 percent increase in terms of weight in comparison to its preceding year.