Bamyan carpets production triples this year

BAMYAN CITY (Province): The production of carpets has increased three fold in central Bamyan province this year compared to the previous year, an official said on Saturday.

Naeem Rezaee, deputy head of Commerce and Industry Department, said public interest in the carpet weaving had significantly increased. He said 7,000 square meter rugs was produced last year, while its production reached 21,000 square meters this year.

Rezaee added: “The production of rugs was estimated 7,000 square meters last year, while this year it had reached to 21,000 square meters and was still going up”.

He added: “The poverty and unemployment of the people ban on girls’ education at schools and at universities caused for the people, especially the females to switch to rugs weaving industry”.

Mohammad Ibrahim Ali Zada, an official of rugs industries in Bamyan said public interest in the carpet weaving industry increased compared to past year.

Ali Zada said, last year 800 carpet weavers worked in the industry, while the number had reached 2,000 weavers during this year.

He added the price of carpet weaving depended on the avert quality of the carpet in the province, adding that the rate of one square meter carpet weaving ranged from 2,000 afs to 4,000 afs per square meter.

Abdullah, another individual associated with the carpet industry said, the lack of carpet processing facilities was one of the major defects of this industry in Afghanistan and it had a direct impact on the price of the product.

He said: “Most of the produced rugs are transported from Afghanistan into Pakistan for processing and then supplied to international markets after being processed in that country.”

Mohammad Taqi, a construction laborer switched to carpet weaving profession due to the lack of construction work and run his life from from weaving carpets.

He said his income low in carpet weaving comparing in the field of construction but still he was able to compensate his daily expenses.

Ahmad Ali, the resident of Bamyan city, was also busy in rugs weaving industry along with his son and two daughters; he was satisfied with his work.

Considering the poverty and unemployment in the society, carpet weaving has a good income, he said.

He said a six square meters rug can be woven in 30 days by four workers which make 12,000 afs of income.

Aw/nh