TEHRAN – On Tuesday, an online seminar was held in Yazd to discuss effective ways to promote and market Iranian handicrafts in foreign handicraft exhibitions. 

Along with several Iranian artisans and craftspeople, the director of the Asia section of Milan’s International Craft Selling Exhibition (L’Artigiano in Fiera) attended the event, CHTN reported. 

A handicraft must have an ID, packaging, brand name, detailed specifications of the product, and the manufacturer to be able to participate in the Milan exhibit, the Italian expert explained. 

To market and promote hand-made products, special planning needs to be developed in terms of the type of product with its target market, the quality of the product, the historical background, its originality, and the materials used, the experts explained. 

L’Artigiano in Fiera, which will be held from December 3 to 11, shows the best of Italian and worldwide handicraft and artisan work. The distinctive feature of this event is the variety of products on display that come from all over the world and cover an infinite range of categories.

With 14 entries, Iran ranks first globally for the number of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, as China with seven entries, Chile with four, and India with three ones come next. For instance, Shiraz is named a “world city of [diverse] handicrafts”, Malayer is a global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture, while Zanjan has gained the title of a “world city of filigree”.

In addition, the ancient city of Shiraz has been chosen to host the 39th General Assembly of the World Crafts Council-Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR) in May 2023. Shiraz has a remarkable amount of handicraft pioneers. With an average age of 70, some of these pioneers are still active at their workshops. The occupational records of about 100 pioneers are collected and are annually praised by the custodians of the WCC General Office.

Available data compiled by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts suggests the value of Iran’s handicrafts exports stood at $120 million during the first eleven months of the past Iranian calendar year 1399 (March 20, 2020 – February 18, 2021), Mehr reported. The country’s handicrafts exports slumped during the mentioned months in comparison to the same period last a year earlier due to the damage the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on global trade.

The Islamic Republic exported $427 million worth of handicrafts during the first eleven months of the calendar year 1398. Of the figure, some $190 million was earned via suitcase trade (allowed for customs-free and tax-free transfer) through 20 provinces, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts. Ceramics, pottery vessels, handwoven cloths as well as personal ornamentations with precious and semi-precious gemstones are traditionally exported to Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, the U.S., the UK, and other countries.

ABU/AFM