The hand-made rug and carpet sector in Iraq could be set for a shake-up after a senior government minister said the sector was not viable.
Khaled Battal Al-Najm, minister of industry and minerals, visited a number of traditional factories in Bagdad on Sunday, including rug production and said the sector is not profitable and needs to be re-evaluated.
‘The handmade carpet industry is important for preserving the heritage and the craft of weaving, but it is not economically viable,’ he says.
He stressed the need to review the situation of some factories and companies that are not feasible to continue, in line with the government program and the goals of the Supreme Committee for Restructuring Public Companies, headed by the prime minister. He says that ‘the rights of the employees will be protected.’
