Iran Participating in Domotex

London, England, January 15, 2007--Iranian carpet traders are taking part at the Domotex 2007 World Trade Fair for Carpet and Floor Coverings which opened in the northeastern German city of Hannover, IRNA reported. More than 1,250 exhibitors from around 60 countries are participating in the 18th Domotex fair, as over 45,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the four-day exhibit which is featuring hand and machine-made carpets, textile and resilient floor coverings, wood and parquet floors, natural stone and ceramic tiles. While Iran was a leading carpet exporters to Germany in 2004 with 90 mln euros, it failed to be among the top four carpet supplying countries in 2005, notably Belgium (43.5%), the Netherlands (24.6%), India (6.5%) and China (4.4%), according to figures released by the Federal Statistics Office. Almost 80% of all carpets products imported into Germany in 2005 were supplied by those four countries. Iranian carpet sales in Germany have dropped in recent years as a result of the import of cheaper machine-made carpets from China and India as well as an ineffective marketing strategy, according to carpet experts in Germany.