ILAM (IRNA) — Iran exports more than $900 million of handicrafts per annum, deputy head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) said here on Monday.

Mostafa Qassemi made the remarks on the sidelines of visiting an exhibition dubbed 'Handicrafts, Link between Religion and Art' in Ilam, western Iran.

He noted that the aforementioned export includes only carry-on-luggage of handicrafts to European countries and particularly to the states around the Persian Gulf.

Referring to the lack of accurate statistics of production of handicrafts in the country, he declared that information and statistics bank for industrial workers will be established in the near future.

Pointing to the three-percent share of handicrafts in gross domestic product (GDP) at the current situation, he added that the handicrafts department plans to increase the share of the industry in Iran's non-oil export and GDP.

He described the industry as a proper field in creating new jobs and thriving economic sector, and underlined the need for improving traditional arts based on modern markets' requirements.

Turning to the 2.5 million industrial workers active in Iran, he noted that providing proper grounds for insuring them, observing job security, paying supportive facilities, and preparing presence of industrialists in domestic and foreign exhibitions are among the government's programs to support the industry.