Hand-woven carpets face competition from factory-made ones

14/11/2006

Skilled makers of hand-woven carpets in Morocco now must cope with cheaper factory-made products. The government is seeking to make the artisans' carpets more valuable on the domestic and international markets.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 14/11/06

[File] Shoppers browse on Rue des Consuls.

For many years, carpet weavers from Salé have come to the same spot along Rue des Consuls in Rabat every Monday and Friday to sell their wares. While many pedestrians look at the carpets, fewer are buying.

Rahma Zaïmi, a 30-year-old carpet weaver said she could not sell anything last month, though her carpets are of high quality as evidenced by the blue label from the quality control office. "Orange means they're top quality, blue means superior, yellow stands for average and grey means standard grade," she explained to Magharebia.

Fatima Bentider has not attracted a single customer in four months for her blue and orange label carpets.

The disappointment shows on the faces of these lifelong weavers, who feel their livelihoods being threatened.

Zohra Fassihi, a carpet weaver herself and the granddaughter of another, is optimistic.

"I know things will change. I've heard talk of a new policy on handicrafts," she says.

Nearby specialty shops selling traditional carpets have also seen sluggish sales, with many people browsing but seldom buying.

Bousbina Halima, who owns a traditional carpet shop in Oudaya, explains, "It's the two factories they've built in Morocco which have been our downfall. They're taking advantage of the market by using Moroccan designs."

Moroccans are staying away from traditional carpets because of their expensive prices, which range from 1,000 dirhams to 2,500 dirhams per square metre. The price depends on the quality of the weaving and the time it requires for the carpet to be completed. Similar-looking industrial carpets cost between 150 and 250 dirhams.

Mohamed Boulhcen, president of the Chamber of Handicrafts in Rabat, visits the artisans regularly. He is calling for a joint effort by everyone involved in the sector to solve the problem. He tells carpet weavers that the chamber is working towards a model for the sector based on that of developed countries.

"To take the case of the r'batis carpet, for instance, craftspeople are having a very hard time because there are now machines that can do everything, whereas it takes months to make a carpet by hand. We're even seeing problems with raw materials since their prices aren't fixed. We want to tackle these problems and the state has to help this sector," Boulhcen says.

He proposes measures including lower taxes, making carpets part of the décor of public offices and running an information campaign abroad to promote the product in foreign markets with higher purchasing powers.

The Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social Economy believes the craftspeople must organise themselves to conquer the domestic and foreign markets. Foreign demand is high, according to the ministry, which is encouraging the creation of firms to ensure supply is adequate and regular. The handicrafts department is counting on superstores, both in Morocco and abroad, to sell large quantities of craft items.