Moroccan handicrafts get a helping hand.

The Moroccan government has adopted new measures for the promotion of handicrafts and trade, Aujourd'hui Le Maroc quotes Industry and Trade Minister Eddine Mazouar as saying on Tuesday "The measures include the creation of 16 accounting management centres as of 2007 and the coming into effect of a law promoting the establishment of co-operatives," the minister said. A new health system for traders and craftsmen will also be introduced.

The government plans to involve public and private operators such as banking institutions, micro loan associations and sector organisations for implementation of the new measures. (Aujourd'hui Le Maroc)

The measures come at a time when traditional crafts are suffering from the inroads made by mass produced goods. For example skilled makers of hand-woven carpets in Morocco now must cope with cheaper factory-made products. The government is seeking to make the artisans' carpets more valuable on the domestic and international markets as Sarah Touahri reported for Magharebia in Rabat.

Moroccans are staying away from traditional carpets because of their expensive prices, which range from 1,000 dirhams to 2,500 dirhams per square metre. The price depends on the quality of the weaving and the time it requires for the carpet to be completed. Similar-looking industrial carpets cost between 150 and 250 dirhams.


Mohamed Boulhcen, president of the Chamber of Handicrafts in Rabat, visits the artisans regularly. He is calling for a joint effort by everyone involved in the sector to solve the problem. He tells carpet weavers that the chamber is working towards a model for the sector based on that of developed countries.

"To take the case of the r'batis carpet, for instance, craftspeople are having a very hard time because there are now machines that can do everything, whereas it takes months to make a carpet by hand. We're even seeing problems with raw materials since their prices aren't fixed. We want to tackle these problems and the state has to help this sector," Boulhcen says.

He proposes measures including lower taxes, making carpets part of the décor of public offices and running an information campaign abroad to promote the product in foreign markets with higher purchasing powers.

The Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social Economy believes the craftspeople must organise themselves to conquer the domestic and foreign markets. Foreign demand is high, according to the ministry, which is encouraging the creation of firms to ensure supply is adequate and regular. The handicrafts department is counting on superstores, both in Morocco and abroad, to sell large quantities of craft items.

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news