UN kicks off construction of rug weaving centre in Jawzjan

JAWZJAN -- To help support Afghanistan's economy, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has begun building Jawzjan province's first rug processing centre in Aqcha district.

Construction began on November 1 and is expected to be completed within six months, said Zabiullah Zahid, executive director of the Abid Afghan Co. in Jawzjan.

"This was a dream of rug weavers in Jawzjan, which fortunately became a reality," he told Salaam Times.

"Dozens of men and women in Aqcha district are busy weaving and producing rugs, and a processing centre was one of their main needs," he said.

Once completed, the centre will create 1,200 jobs, Zahid said.

"The centre, built on a 2,000-square-metre plot in Aqcha, will cost $150,000 (13 billion AFN) to build ... production, cutting and packaging will also take place in the centre," he said.

With the completion of the centre, all steps involved in the rug weaving industry will take place in Jawzjan, and rugs produced in Afghanistan will be exported from there, he added.

Rugs made in Afghanistan in the past have been shipped to Pakistan or Iran for processing.

Weavers welcome new centre

The rug weaving industry has been in decline in Jawzjan from the insecurity of recent years, and many weavers have quit the industry, say local rug weavers and traders.

"The processing centre will help the rug industry flourish again in Jawzjan, and the rug weavers who have quit the industry will return," said Safar Mohammad Turkman, 58, a rug weaver in Jawzjan province.

"We used to weave one ... rug per month and would sell it in the Aqcha district market."

Afghan rugs are generally 5 metres long and 3 metres wide.

The weavers' income was very good, he said.

"In the past year, our life has not been good and I have distanced myself from the rug industry," he said. "But I am happy that a centre is now being built and I will resume my work."

Partner organisations should support traders by establishing industrial parks, providing raw materials and wool washing equipment and creating a market for selling and buying rugs and other necessary materials, said Rabiullah Khaliqi, a carpet trader in Jawzjan.

"Most of our rug weavers and traders are faced with the challenge of a lack of raw materials and facilities to export rugs," he said. "If we get support in those areas, Afghan rugs will recapture their earlier position."

"Imports of wool and synthetic dye from Iran and Pakistan, which are [deceptively] sold as Belgian materials, have affected the quality of rugs and diminished their value," he said.

"The designs currently used in Afghan rugs do not have many fans in international markets, which is another factor in the declining export of Afghan rugs," he added.

Support for domestic products

Rug weaving is an old and valuable industry in Afghanistan. Rugs with special designs produced in the northern part of the country, however, have lost some of their popularity because of a lack of interest and economic problems.

Mohammad Shaker Akhtari, 46, a Jawzjan rug weaver, said all the hard work he and his peers do is in vain because of the import of low-quality Iranian rugs.

"Rugs we produce with our hands, incurring great expenses, are of higher quality than imported Iranian rugs, but customers buy Iranian rugs since they are cheaper," he said.

"The Afghan rug industry will go bankrupt if imports of Iranian rugs are not stopped," he added. "The government must address all issues faced by the rug industry to ensure its survival."

"Afghan rugs were exported to Europe, the United States, Canada, the Arab world and Asia until last year, but now exports have decreased," Akhtari said.