Addressing a gathering of over 100 industrialists engaged in sports shoe manufacturing in New Delhi, Union Minister Piyush Goyal asked the footwear industry to focus on quality and reduce dependency on imports so that a larger share of the international market could be captured.
He further emphasised that from 1st July 2023, Quality Control Orders (QCO) for leather and non-leather footwear would be implemented. BIS standards need to be followed to promote better quality and larger production, he reiterated, adding that this would lead to better quality in the products for consumers.
The Minister further showed some concern about the import of low-quality and low-cost raw materials and that this trend needed to be addressed. He also stressed on the importance of encouraging domestic machinery manufacturers and that dependence on the imports of machinery should be reduced.
He added that the production of components in India should be looked into and that Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) would also provide their help in this regard.
“Improvement in quality will help gain importance in the global market”, he said. He also asked leading manufacturers to assess the trends of countries with a larger global share of exports as well as make the best possible use of FTAs signed by India.
As per Piyush Goyal, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is being considered to promote economies of scale as well as create large capacities. He further said that international best practices of quality should be studied by officials of DPIIT and industry representatives so that those can be implemented in India.
