TEHRAN – Handicrafts exports from Golestan province hit $308,000 during the previous Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended March 20), showing 53 percent growth year on year.

“Craftspeople of Golestan province have a great opportunity to reach the global markets,” said provincial tourism chief Ahmad Tajari, CHTN reported.

Hand-woven klim carpets, Turkmen handicrafts, wicker works, handmade felt products and mosaic constituted the majority of Golestan’s exports of handicrafts, he added.

Handicrafts exports from Iran reached some $146 million during the first nine months of the past Iranian calendar year, while exports amounted to $289 million in the year 1397 (March 2018-March 2019), according to data announced by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

Dozens of Iranian handicrafts have gained the UNESCO Seal of Excellence during the past couple of years. Some 75 percent of Iranian handicrafts are produced by females, Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice president for women’s and family affairs, said in April 2018.

ABU/MG