Production and exports of Afghan carpets have nosedived in recent years. The government too has not taken any initiative to revive carpet exports.
Incidentally, Afghan-made carpets command a very high value in the global markets and are sold as high as US $8,000 per metre in overseas markets.
Afghan carpets are also high in demand at the Domotex Exhibition held in Germany for the past many years.
Experts point to high cost of raw materials and dearth of facilities as main reasons for decline in production of carpets.
The other reason put forth by experts is that Pakistani carpet exporters buy carpets from Afghanistan through unofficial channels and sell them abroad as Pakistani-made carpets.
There are two industrial parks, one in Jalalabad and another in Faryab province, for the production of carpets in Afghanistan.