LAHORE, Oct 2: A three-day exhibition of Pakistan’s hand-knotted carpets will be held at the Expo Centre here from Oct 7 to 9.

Being organised jointly by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the showpiece event is expected to draw a large number of buyers and importers from all over the world particularly the USA, Europe, Scandinavian countries, Turkey, China, South Africa, South and North America.

The TDPA has invited a large number of businessmen renowned for carpet imports from these countries offering them free travel, boarding and lodging facility. A vast majority of them have reportedly confirmed their participation.

A large number of carpets of different varieties and designs produced in Pakistan will be on display.

Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s former vice-chairman Javed Khan told Dawn various types of varieties and designs would be displayed at the exhibition which would not only provide foreign buyers a glimpse of the phenomenal progress the local industry had made in carpet weaving but a means to find new avenues for exports for manufacturers and exporters in trade.

Mr Javed Khan, who on a couple of previous occasions headed the organising committee of similar exhibitions, said various qualities and designs according to the taste and diverse trends with different colour combinations had specially been manufactured by home manufacturers.

He said Turkey and Pakistan had very good trade relations and Turks were the biggest buyers of Pakistani goods, particularly carpets. He said being an attractive tourist resort, Turkey headed the list of carpet traders in the world market.

He said foreign buyers were deeply interested in Pakistan carpets of varying designs and colours depicting Floral, Agra, Vegetable Dyes/ Chobis styles of weaving in which India was Pakistan’s leading competitor in foreign markets.

Omar Khan, a former member of the executive committee of the Pakistan Carpets Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said such exhibitions have always helped Pakistan boost up exports of carpets because exhibits provided foreign delegates and importers a complete view of the quality of Pakistani carpets, their varieties, designs, colours and laid out patterns changing from time to time with regard to needs and tastes of buyers and above all competitive prices which had all suitably combined to help emerge in the front rank exporting countries.

Pakistan produced a vast a variety and types of carpets with varying colour patterns which had all along been attracting foreign buyers.

Another importer Mahmood Khan said that besides Pakistan the major carpet producing countries were Iran, India, South Asian states, Turkey, The Caucasia and the Central Asia.

In Pakistan, major carpet weaving centers were located in many cities including Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad and Karachi and over one million people were connected with the industry.