Lissa Wyman
NEW YORK — The World Handmade Carpet Organization has been created to promote cooperation and understanding of the hand-made carpet industry among manufacturing and importing countries.


Akhtar Nazir “Cooki” Khan, president of rug manufacturer Miaco in Lahore, Pakistan, has been elected to a three-year term as chairman of the organization. Khan recently visited New York to bring the WHCO message to U.S. importers.

Founding member countries are China, India and Pakistan, and Iran and Nepal are expected to join. For now, the organization is government-sponsored, although it plans to invite industry associations, institutes, raw material suppliers and service providers to participate as well.

Its head office will be in India, while the general secretary will be from China.

The WHCO is sponsoring three hand-made carpet trade shows this year. The first two were in India and China, and the third is set for Lahore from  Aug. 28 to 31. Hand-made rug makers from China, India and Pakistan will be represented.

WHCO has a multi-tiered mission, according to Khan.

“We want to create an environment of understanding and cooperation among the rug-producing nations,” he said.

“One of our most important goals is to let consumers know how important rug production is to the social and economic fabric of life for the weavers,” he added. “The purchase of one hand-made carpet can support a family for an entire year. That fact alone greatly enhances both the beauty and value of every hand-made rug.”

The World Handmade Carpet Organization will promote sales of hand-made carpets by winning the confidence of consumers and by using good raw materials that meet international standards, he said.

Khan also said there is a need to modernize the handmade rug industry’s design development, production, management and marketing.

“The manufacturing countries will have to share technological information, research and development and marketing efforts in order to upgrade their domestic production,” he said.