The rug industry of Afghanistan is caught in an inhuman circle due to the spiraling cost of raw materials. A pack of wool produced in Herat province has doubled to $24, and a kilo of dye has increased from two to $3.
It has driven producers to use cheaper alternatives, resulting lower-grade carpets which are less in demand in the foreign market.
Afghan rugs have traditionally been high on the list of the country's export earners and the effects are felt in the national economy.
Government needs to take steps to deal with this but another problem is that good-quality Afghan carpets are being sold in the world market as 'Pakistani' because they are exported through that country.
Carpets that are of decent quality is exported to Pakistan, and then they are resold to other countries labeled as Pakistani.
The answer to the quality issue lies in creating local factories to process wool and make dyes, as a way of keeping prices down. Region has no shortage of raw wool, but the problem is that there is no infrastructure to turn it into material suitable for rug-making.
Also, the rug-making industry is going through difficult times due to constant warfare in Afghanistan, disrupting trade periodically and forcing carpet weavers to live as refugees in Pakistan or Iran.
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