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Leather And Footwear Industry
The government has provided one more year till July 31, 2027 to micro and small enterprises from non-leather footwear sector to comply with the mandatory quality control order. The move would give smaller footwear manufacturers more time to obtain BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification. It has also allowed footwear manufacturers to import up to 4,500 pairs annually for research, design development, testing, and other non-commercial purposes without meeting QCO (quality control order) requirements. However, these imported footwear have to be marked as "NOT FOR SALE" and have to be disposed of as scrap. Amending the footwear made from all rubber and all polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) order, 2024, the Department For Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) order said in a provision, "for figures, letters and word '31st July, 2026', the figures, letters and word '31st July, 2027' shall be substituted". Commenting on the order, think tank GTRI s
The leather and footwear industry has sought duty exemptions on a number of critical inputs such as synthetic leather, metal accessories, machinery, threads, moulds, and certain chemicals as the ongoing West Asia crisis has pushed input costs up by up to 60 per cent, an official said. The industry has recently flagged the matter with the commerce and industry ministry. The industry official said that the exporters have suggested the government for early implementation of the proposed FLOAT (Footwear and leather oriented transformation) scheme covering the entire product range, raw materials, machinery and inputs. They have also urged for duty-free import of crust and finished leathers to boost domestic manufacturing. "The industry is facing a sharp increase in raw material and input costs - rising by 40-60 per cent - due to the West Asia crisis. "In view of this, we have urged the government to provide import duty exemptions on critical inputs such as synthetic leather (PU-coated
The signing of the IndiaEuropean Union Free Trade Agreement will be a major boost for the footwear and leather industry and open up new opportunities for exporters, a senior official of the CLE said here on Saturday. The European Union is the largest market for India's footwear and leather sectors, accounting for 43 per cent of exports, Council for Leather Exports Executive Director R Selvam said. The Council for Leather Exports functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is the apex trade promotion organisation for India's leather and leather products sector. "The IndiaEU Free Trade Agreement, which provides for zero per cent import duty in the EU for the footwear and leather sector, will open up new opportunities for exporters and help achieve our envisaged export target of USD 14 billion by 2030," Selvam said. Speaking to reporters, he said the agreement would enhance cooperation between India and the EU not only in sourcing but also in investments. I
The country's leather, non-leather footwear and products' exports rose by about 25 per cent year-on-year to USD 5.7 billion in 2024-25 and the shipments are likely to cross the USD 6.5 billion mark this fiscal, exporters' body CLE said on Monday. The Council for Leather Exports (CLE) said that demands in both developed and developing countries are "healthy". "In 2024-25, we have exceeded the exports target by USD 1 billion set up by the department of commerce and going by this trend, our exports will cross USD 6.5 billion in 2025-26," CLE Executive Director R Selvam said. He said that the sector is recording growth despite global uncertainties. Sharing similar views, CLE Chairman Rajendra Kumar Jalan said that the exports are doing good in both the US and the UK, the key export destinations for India. Due to the 10 per cent tariff hike, all the exporters are giving discounts to buyers, but there were no order cancellations, Jalan said. "From April 14-15, the situation is normal.