LAHORE, Dec 24: Pakistan’s carpet exports declined slightly by 1.84 per cent to Rs4.363 billion during the first four months of the current fiscal from last year’s Rs4.445 billion during the same period.

An industry spokesman, Naeem Tahir Sheikh, said on Saturday that the decline in terms of US dollars stood at three per cent despite the fact that the quantity exported during the period under review had increased by nine per cent to 1.404 million sqm from 1.287 million sqm.

He said that the Pakistani carpets had been facing intense competition from China and India for the last two years in the international markets.

“Pakistan no longer enjoys monopoly on tribal, classical carpet designs, which have been the mainstay of its exports in recent years. India has also begun making the same designs and is offering them in the international markets at lower rates, cutting into Pakistan’s share in the market.

“This is evident from the decrease in the unit price of Pakistan’s carpets,” he said.

He pointed out that another reason, for the decline in Pakistan’s carpet exports, was that China had been making ‘sootri’ designs, which had been Pakistan’s exclusive products for several years.

He said Pakistani carpet manufacturers and exporters would have to come up with new designs to maintain their position in the international market.