According to the ITKIB data, during the months of January and February this year, Turkey exported carpets worth $355.5 million, whereas the country exported carpets worth $327.5 during the same months last year.

Sub-sector wise, the highest exports were made from the machine-made carpets sector with exports amounting to $341.6 million during the months of January and February, 2014, registering a rise of 9.7 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, exports from the hand-made carpets sector declined 14.1 percent to $13.9 million during the first two months of this year.

Saudi Arabia was the main destination for Turkish carpet exports during the months of January and February, totaling $57.7 million, accounting for 16.3 percent of the overall carpet exports from the country.

The US ranked second with Turkey exporting carpets worth $36.5 million to the country during the first two months of 2014, followed by Libya with $35.6 million, Germany with $26.7 million and Iraq with 13.7 million.

Last year, the country exported carpets amounting to $2.196 billion, indicating a surge of 9.3 percent compared to 2012, as per the ITKIB data.