Pakistan carpet exports have been suffering mainly due to institutional weaknesses and lack of systematic efforts for design development and searching new markets.
Mohsin Bandey, Chairman, Carpet Committee Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry said this in a press release issued here on Wednesday.
'At individual level, carpet exporters have shown a great deal of innovative genius but at the industry level, no organised efforts have been made for design development or finding foreign marketing.
On the other hand, other countries like India have come up with big range of products, to meet the needs of consumers in Europe and America', he added.
Meanwhile, Naeem Tahir Sheikh, the spokesman of the carpet industry said in another statement that tribal design carpet is very popular in the world market these days.
The old Mori Bokhara and other Pakistani carpet designs are not much in demand. In the days ahead Pakistan would have to come up with something new like Chobi to increase its share of the international carpet market.
The latest figures of carpet exports during July-November 2003 indicates an increase of 1.6 percent, as Pakistan exported carpets worth about US $86.3 million compared with $85.1 million of last year. In volume terms, carpet exports declined by 6.8 percent, he added.
According to him, Carpet Review, a trade journal, has launched a special issue to be displayed at Domotex, Germany; the world's largest carpet fair scheduled to be held in the third week of January 2004.
The issue contains information about Pakistan carpet exports to various world markets in the last few years.
The carpet exports are continually falling since the year 2001. From the high of $285 million in 2000-01, our exports came down to $ 235 million in 2001-02 and $222 million in 2002-03, while current year's prospects are not encouraging, he said.
Presently, Pakistan produces some of the best carpets in the world but lack of proper technical backup and marketing. On the other hand, Indian carpets have gradually increased its share in the world market in the last five years.
Starting from $408.07 million in 1995-96, Indian exports have gone up to $532.96 million in the year 2002-03.
The gap between Pakistani and Indian carpets exports in the international market is widening. According to the figures quoted in Carpet Review Pakistani carpets have been losing all major markets including UK and France in the last few years, Naeem concluded.