India’s carpet exports met the $1 billion target in 2012-13, registering a growth of over 12 per cent, on strong demand in the US, China and Latin American markets.

During 2011-12, these exports stood at $955 million, according to the data provided by the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC).

“Carpets exports touched $1.07 billion mark in the last fiscal on account of growing demand not only from American market, but also from new markets like Latin America, Africa and China,” Siddh Nath Singh, Chairman, CEPC said.

However, he said, the demand is yet to pick up in the European market.

The US and European markets account for over 60 per cent of the country’s total carpet exports.

The categories that registered maximum growth in the last fiscal include handmade silk carpets that grew by 44 per cent, followed by handmade woollen tufted carpets 23 per cent and synthetic carpets 17 per cent.

In March 2013, the export of these items grew about 29 per cent to $164 million compared to the same period previous fiscal.