TEHRAN – Iran’s Commercial Attaché in Iraq, Naser Behzad, has said that the demand of the Iraqi market for Persian carpets will considerably rise by 2020.

“By 2020, Iraq is forecast to buy Iranian carpet at an estimated worth of $600 million,” IRNA quoted Behzad as saying on Friday.

“Iran [currently] has a share of less than five percent in meeting the Iraqi market demand,” the official added.

Quoted by Iran Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), Behzad stated that Iraq annually imports about $250 million worth of carpets from Turkey, China and Egypt.

During the past fiscal year, over 5,397,000 tons of Iranian carpets, worth $424.451 million, were exported to over 70 countries with the U.S. standing on top of the importers list, said the Iranian official.

Germany, the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and Norway as well as Hungary, Romania, Poland and Ireland are major importers of Iranian carpet.

Persian carpets are sought after internationally for their delicate designs and good quality. The country’s official figures show the carpets have a significant share in Iran’s non-oil exports.

AFM/MG