Turkish rug sector eyes market leadership

Gamze Şener - ISTANBUL

Türkiye aims to take over the market leadership in the carpet industry from India in handmade rugs, which was once one of the most purchased Turkish products by tourists, a sector representative has stated.

India has been maintaining its market leadership in the handmade carpet industry, which has reached a total export value of $1.17 billion worldwide. However, the Turkish market aims to regain its leadership position with world-renowned authentic Anatolian rugs.

Ahmet Hayri Diler, the head of the Istanbul Carpet Exporters’ Association (İHİB), stated that they intend to launch a project to revive handmade carpet production.

By selecting pilot areas in regions where carpet weaving is still alive, they aim to create teams consisting of designers, marketers, and experts in materials, yarns, and dyes, Diler said.

Production should meet the expectations of current decoration trends worldwide through the touches made by these local teams, he noted.

“This can also contribute significantly to rural development and female employment.”

“We need to transition to a workshop system with this recipe because the world no longer expects only traditional weavings. It desires creative, design-oriented products,” Diler noted.

Despite the closure of borders and the halt in international trade during the COVID pandemic, people turned to decoration while staying in their homes, leading to increased interest in carpets.

“We had a good year in 2021, but in 2022, we experienced a 13-percent decline in exports. This was due to the decrease in machine carpet exports, while handmade carpet exports were on the rise. In 2022, handmade carpet exports increased by 8 percent to $47 million. However, we do not consider this export volume sufficient,” he explained.

“Our carpets are displayed in the most prestigious museums in the world, at the forefront of their special sections, and our carpets are sold at very high prices in international auctions. Anatolia is the cradle of weaving. Wherever you dig in Anatolia, you will find a weaving tool. There are even examples of weaving from the Neolithic period. It is saddening that our country, with such a cultural richness, lags behind in handmade carpet production.”