Piyush Goyal Urges Leather and Footwear Industry to Triple Exports to USD 15 Billion

New Delhi, Jul 7 (KNN) Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Monday called on the leather and footwear industry to target at least USD 15 billion in exports over the next five to six years, urging manufacturers to leverage India's expanding network of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), diversify export markets and strengthen quality, design and branding.

Addressing the Council for Leather Exports National Export Excellence Awards 2024-25 in New Delhi, Goyal said the sector, which currently exports leather and footwear worth around USD 4-4.5 billion, has the potential to achieve three-fold growth.

He said the India-UK FTA will come into force on July 15, while the legal review of the India-EU FTA is expected to be completed within the next 15-20 days, opening greater market access for Indian exporters.

The Minister urged exporters to diversify beyond traditional markets, noting that 77 per cent of India's leather exports are concentrated in just 15 countries. He encouraged the industry to tap opportunities in FTA partner countries and other emerging markets.

Goyal also called on the industry to strengthen quality standards, product design, packaging, branding and sustainability, while adopting modern technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence to improve competitiveness.

He urged the sector to strengthen leather development centres and collaborate with institutions including the National Institute of Design (NID), Indian Institute of Packaging, Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to enhance design, testing, packaging and quality certification.

Highlighting the sector's employment potential, Goyal said the leather industry, which currently employs over 40 lakh people, has the capacity to expand employment to one crore.

He also encouraged the industry to adopt sustainable manufacturing practices, improve waste and effluent management, use renewable energy and participate more actively in global exhibitions with support under the government's Export Promotion Mission.

(KNN Bureau)