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Rabat – Handicraft exports increased by 30.6% this late January compared to the same period in 2016, registering an historic growth for the industry.
According to the Ministry of Crafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, this development affected the majority of export products, especially footwear, which saw their export volume triple by January 2016. Regaining their rank of the most exported products, footwear was followed by clothing, which marked a 68% increase and brassware with 66%.
Pottery/stone craft and carpet making followed suit with growth rates of 52% and 33% respectively, the ministry disclosed. It added that, in terms of shares, carpets (20%), pottery/stone craft (19.3%) and clothing (16.6%) account for the bulk of the turnover.
Moroccan artisanal exports to Arab countries increased exponentially in January 2017, multiplying by a 2.6-fold increase over the same period in the past year. The ministry highlighted that the growth of exports to Japan showed an increase of 80%.
In Europe, the volume of artisanal products exports has evolved significantly: Belgium by 65%, Spain 26% and England 7,2%.
The US also represented good performance with a growth rate of 58.5% and a 28% share in export turnover. As for exports to African countries, they registered a significant increase of 7.3%, stated the ministry.
At the national level, exports of handicrafts passing through the cities of Oujda and Nador marked a sharp increase in January 2017, with sales three times greater than that recorded a year earlier. Casablanca followed with 48%, Fez with 16% and Rabat with an increase of 6.3%.
In terms of shares in export turnover, Casablanca and Marrakech qualified as the main exporting centers for Moroccan handicrafts, 72%. Casablanca is positioned to become the country’s future capital of Handicraft Exports.
The year 2016 saw a record 16% increase in handicraft exports, a figure that has not been seen by the industry for more than 15 years. This growth has been achieved thanks to Morocco’s tourism boom that has welcomed more than 10 million tourists in the past year alone.
