Egyptian handicrafts exports went up 10 percent from January to August 2018 to reach $142 million, up from $129 million in the same period in 2017, the Egyptian Export Council for Handicrafts (EECH) said Thursday.

EECH acting chairman Hisham El-Gazzar attributed the rise to participation in various international fairs, such as NY Now in New York, as well as sending delegations of craftsmen to Europe for training sessions to get familiar with the cutting-edge techniques and technologies in this field.

El-Gazzar’s remarks came on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Craffiti Egypt Exhibition, being held on 11-18 October at the Cairo International Convention Centre.

Some 53 percent, or $75.45 million, of the total Egyptian handicraft exports went to Turkey, Sudan, Germany, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, France, Italy, USA, and China.