Piyush Goyal says India’s footwear industry should cut import dependence

India’s footwear industry was urged to focus on quality and reduce import dependence to capture a larger share in the international market by Union minister Piyush Goyal. He was addressing a recently held gathering of over 100 industrialists engaged in the manufacturing of sports shoes in India in New Delhi.

The minister emphasised that Quality Control Orders for leather and non-leather footwear would be implemented with effect from July 1, 2023. He reiterated that Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) need to be followed for better quality and larger production which eventually leads to good quality products for the consumers, according to a press release by India’s ministry of commerce and industry.

The minister said that if industry stakeholders provided substantial facts/data regarding under invoicing and under valuing of imports, the government would take action. Goyal said that high quality production for large capacities in the sector is the need of the hour. He added that business practices must be improved for the betterment of the footwear industry.

The minister expressed concern about the importing of low quality and low-cost raw material and said that the tendency needed to be addressed. Goyal also stressed that dependence on the import of machinery needs to be reduced and domestic machinery manufacturers should be encouraged. The Footwear Design and Development Institute will also provide support in this regard, he said.

Goyal urged footwear industry players to strive to assess the quality and standards which consumers expect. He asked India’s leading manufacturers to assess the trends of the countries with a larger global share in exports. He also advised footwear manufacturers to make the best possible use of the free trade agreements that India had signed. He added that the Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme needed to be relooked at, added the release.

The minister said BIS and FDDI shall establish testing facilities at the industry clusters. He suggested that the creation of common facility centres for moulding and designing with the support of the FDDI may be encouraged. He noted that the Production Linked Incentive Scheme was also being considered to create large capacities and promote economies of scale. The minister also said that officials of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and industry representatives should study international best practices of quality so that they can be implemented in India.