TİKA Supports the Carpet Business in Tunisia

The Carpet Care and Maintenance Center, which is to carry out activities under the Technical Center of Creation, Innovation, and Supervision in Carpet and Weaving in Tunisia, has been established with the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).

In the Republic of Tunisia, the handicrafts, weaving and carpet businesses play a significant role in the economy. While Tunisia ranks 7^th in the world in traditional carpet weaving with a yearly production of 650,000 square meters, the sector has experienced a loss in workforce in recent years, resulting in a 70% decrease in production. The lack of a carpet cleaning facility in Tunisia had led to a loss in the added value of the carpets which are produced after long efforts and a low presence of domestic products in national and international markets.

The Technical Center of Creation, Innovation, and Supervision in Carpet and Weaving, which strives to solve the problems of the carpet business and increase employment and added value while supporting traditional carpet weaving in rural areas, carries out activities under the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts. TİKA has offered support to establish the Carpet Care and Maintenance Center under this center.

Within the scope of the project, two separate lines were set up. Dust removing machines, carpet washing machines, carpet squeezing-drying units, and carpet fiber removal-carpet packaging machines for 4 meter and 2 meter carpets were supplied. Once the facility initiates operations, domestic products will be prepared for marketing, and private and public institutions will be offered carpet cleaning and care services. The center, which will initially offer employment opportunities for 15 people, aims to ensure the growth of the carpet business in Tunisia and become a training, design, and R&D base.

Salma Elloumi Rekik, the Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Turkey's Ambassador to Tunisia Ömer Faruk Doğan, Head of TİKA's Middle East and Africa Department Keman Özdemir, and various representatives of the private and public sector attended the event held at the facility. Minister Elloumi thanked TİKA for their support and expressed that, in line with the strategy to promote traditional textile and carpet business; the cleaning facility had been established with the support of TİKA. Elloumi stated that the facility was one of five planned units and highlighted that collaborations with TİKA would be continued to set up facilities for other carpet weaving-related operations.