Recession in Afghan Carpet Industry

Lack of government support, the problems of access to the market and the import of cheap machine- made carpets is threatening the survival of the carpet industry in Afghanistan. The production has decreased by 50% this year in Northern Afghanistan and the situation could worsen if the government does not step in.

Lack of government support, the problems of access to the market and the import of cheap machine- made carpets is threatening the survival of the carpet industry in Afghanistan. The production has decreased by 50% this year in Northern Afghanistan and the situation could worsen if the government does not step in.

Abdul Satar Baigzada, head of the Afghan Carpet Producers Association in Balkh province says exports and production of carpets is down by half in the northern region from the previous year.  “Though the quality of Afghan carpets is the best in the world, this year’s carpet production and export has declined compared to last year.”

Baigzada says the main markets for Afghan carpets is in European and Asian countries, but carpets from Afghanistan have failed to attract buyers this year.  “Afghanistan’s carpet market is faced with recession.”

Haji Amir Mohammad, a carpet seller in Mazar-e-Sharif says the sale of carpets declined in the last two years and many carpet producers suffered financial setbacks.

Sayed Taher Roshanzada, the head of Chambers of Commerce in Balkh province believes the main reason for the reduction of the production of Afghan carpet production is the lack of support from the Afghan government. He believes that though millions of dollars have been spent in developing the Afghan carpet industry, the benefits have not reached the carpet producers who are currently facing poverty and misery.

“Unfortunately our carpets are taken to Pakistan for finishing and then exported to various markets all over the world as carpets of Pakistani and not Afghan origin”, says Roshanzada. The Afghan government should take serious steps to provide more facilities to encourage Afghan carpet weavers and producers, he adds.

Abdul Wali, a 35-year old carpet producer is critical of the depressed prices of Afghan carpets in the market. “All members of my family work very hard and it takes two to three months to weave a carpet. But when I go sell it in the market, it fetches a very low price”, he says.

Beigzada, Head of Afghan carpet producers Association in Balkh province says that it takes four carpet weavers around three and a half months to weave a 6 metre carpet but that they get very little remuneration for it.

Sayed Taher Roshanzada also points out that there is no price control of the carpet market. This, he says, allows low quality machine-made imported carpets to be sold in the Afghan market at low prices, making the hand-made labour- intensive Afghan carpet uncompetitive. “The government has no serious plan for carpet-weavers”, he thinks.

Assadullah Afghan, a carpet seller who sells Iranian and Turkish carpets, says: “Before this, I did only used to sell Afghan carpets, but since the market is awash with Iranian and Turkish carpets, the sale of Afghan carpets has seen a downturn.”