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Pakistan : Carpet industry facing labour problem
April 14, 2007 |  |
 As the Afghani workers are sent back to their homeland, carpet industry is facing labour problems.
Official figures reveal that exports of carpets and rugs have already started showing declining trend. During July to February 2005-06, carpets, rugs and mats worth $171.23 million were exported whereas the same period in 2006-07, it stood at $145.54 million, with a 15 percent fall.
The country exported 2.29 million square meters of carpets, rugs and mats during July to February 2006-07, against 2.83 million square meters in July-Feb 2005-06, with an 18.83 percent decline.
Pakistan exports carpets to countries like USA, Germany, Italy, the UK, France, UAE.
Carpet manufacturing takes place in Quetta, parts of NWFP, Karachi, Attock which are vastly populated with Afghan refugees.
In Attock, there were around 15 million carpet weaving looms, with mostly Afghan workers. Number of looms declined since Afghanis are sent back to their homeland. Karachi’s 1,000 carpet weaving looms has declined drastically.
Since 2002, around 2.8 million Afghan refugees returned home under the UNHCR’s voluntary return assistance programme. Exporters are now bringing carpets from Kabul. | | |
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