Kabul: Afghanistan intends to increase carpet production nationwide, according to the ministry of industry and commerce, with a goal of hiring 1.5 million people to meet rising demand, particularly from China.
Afghan rugs are renowned for their high quality and craftsmanship, but since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021 and with the country's economy teetering on the verge of collapse, demand has fallen precipitously.
According to ministry spokesman Abdul Salam Jawad, the Afghan carpet industry made "a great achievement" in 2022 when exports reached $20 million. Production took place in 18 provinces, and the industry employed more than 1 million people.
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According to Jawad, there was a significant export of carpets through the ports of various Afghan provinces last year. The goal is to begin sewing carpets across the nation this year.
He added that carpets were popular items at Afghan trade shows both at home and abroad, with China, Pakistan, Turkey, and the UAE being mentioned as some of the major markets for the good.
Carpets took first place in exhibitions held in China and India, according to Jawad.
"We hope to employ 1.5 million people in the carpet industry this year.
We want to use carpet weaving to give people in 34 provinces of Afghanistan employment because the unemployment rate there has significantly increased.
Human Concern International, a global nonprofit, estimates that Afghanistan's unemployment rate could reach 30%.
Local producers have benefited from the growing demand for Afghan carpets, with China being seen as an increasingly lucrative market.
According to Dil Jam Manan Qassimy, CEO of carpet exporter Qassimy Brothers Carpet Co., "China is a good market for Afghanistan's carpets."
"Carpet exports to China have decreased significantly in recent years, but there has been a significant change in the export of carpets since the issuance of Chinese visas for Afghans was resumed," Qassimy said.
"The Chinese are very affluent and are excellent consumers of our carpets. We produce carpets that are very expensive and of very high quality. China is an interesting market for Afghan carpets because Chinese consumers are always willing to purchase them and are very interested in our carpets.
Some carpet weavers have had to alter traditional patterns to meet demand on a global scale.
According to Mohammad Walizada, director of an Afghan rug business in Kabul, "Afghanistan's old carpets and old colors do not have an international market; they are only sold in Afghanistan."
"We recently made some necessary changes in our work based on the demand of the time, during which we have attracted the attention of many Chinese buyers," he said.
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30 year carpet industry veteran Walizada mentioned that his clientele had grown as a result of his participation in exhibitions in China.
"We are dispatching our new carpet model to China based on demand from Chinese traders," he said, adding that about 15% of his products were purchased by Chinese customers.
"Afghan carpet exports to China have been rising recently."