TDAP opens ‘International Exhibition of Handmade Carpets’

On Tuesday in Lahore, Faiz Ahmed Chadhar, chief executive of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, opened the 42nd International Exhibition of Handmade Carpets, according to Business Recorder. The three-day fair, organised by the Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association, has attracted a large number of overseas buyers from the United States, Germany, Turkiye, China, Russia and Sweden. Senior government officials and business leaders attended the opening ceremony.

At the event Chadhar pledged full government backing for the sector, saying Pakistani handmade carpets had built a distinctive reputation abroad because of their quality and designs. He said the industry held room for greater exports and that the government would keep expanding support for export-oriented manufacturers, in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's commitment to growing the economy through exports. He also acknowledged visa problems raised by participants and said efforts were under way to address them quickly.

Chadhar stressed that the carpet trade must embrace innovation and that closer cooperation between the public and private sectors was needed. Exhibition Chairman Riaz Ahmed and Khawaja Mir Mudassar said they expected large export deals to be signed during the fair. The event also includes a stall displaying carpets made by prisoners in Punjab's jails.