PIB | 21 Jan, 2023
Union
Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal asked the footwear
industry to focus on quality and reduce import dependence to capture a
larger share in the international Market.
He was addressing a gathering
of over 100 industrialists engaged in manufacturing of sports shoes in
India today in New Delhi.
The
Minister emphasized that Quality Control Orders (QCO) for leather and
non-leather footwear would be implemented with effect from 1 July 2023.
He reiterated that BIS standards need to be followed for better quality
and larger production which eventually leads to good quality products
for the consumers.
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 and for large capacities in the sector is the need of the
hour. He added that business practices must be improved for betterment
of 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 import of machinery needs
to be reduced and domestic machinery manufacturers should be encouraged.
He said that encouragement of production of components in India needs
to be looked into.
Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) will
also support in this regard, he said.
Goyal urged the footwear industry players to strive to assess the
quality and standards which consumer expects. 'Improvement in the
quality will help gaining importance in global market', he said.
He
asked India’s leading manufacturers to assess the trends of the
Countries with larger global share in export.
He also asked footwear
manufacturers to make the best possible use of the FTAs that India had
signed. He added that the Indian Footwear & Leather Development
Programme needed to be relooked at.
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 FDDI may be
encouraged.
He noted that Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme was
also being considered to create large capacities and promote economies
of scale.
The Minister also said that officials of DPIIT and industry
representatives should study international best practices of quality so
that they can be implemented in India.