Piyush Goyal, the minister of commerce and industry, stated on Saturday that he believes India would conclude some free trade agreements (FTAs) in the coming months, which will aid in boosting exports.
India and the UK are nearing a conclusion in their free trade agreement negotiations. Similar agreements are being negotiated by the nation with Canada and the EU.

Goyal told representatives of the footwear industry in this city, “We can leverage the free trade agreements with the UAE and Australia and we are hopeful that in the coming months we will finalize many more free trade agreements to help you grow your business with zero duty on finished leather products and footwear available for you to exploit bigger and better markets.”

The Indian footwear and leather industry is not only a major foreign exchange earner but being a labour-intensive sector, it also provides employment to approximately 4.5 million people, 40 per cent of whom are women.

He said that India has the capacity to become the world’s largest and best-quality footwear manufacturer.

India is the second largest exporter of leather garments, third-largest exporter of saddlery and harnesses and fourth-largest exporter of leather goods in the world.

More than 95 per cent of the production units in this sector are micro, small & medium enterprises (MSME) units.

Further Goyal said that Indian size of footwear will be launched soon to help distinguish Indian footwear around the globe and reduce dependence on foreign sizing trends.

He suggested industrialists explore FTAs for technological collaborations, joint ventures of non-leather footwear, thus increasing the export of the country and enhancing the domestic market with Indian products.

Goyal emphasized the appeal of Kolhapuri footwear from Maharashtra and Mojari footwear from Rajasthan, saying that both should draw in consumers from abroad.
Speaking about quality, he stated that the government has defined quality control standards for the industry and is prepared to establish testing centers for certifications.

Goyal urged the stakeholders to grow the company while maintaining the emphasis on quality and sustainability, environmentally friendly practices, waste management, and investigating renewable electricity sources.
He continued, “In addition to improving our design capabilities, we also need to bring in more investments and technology to scale up production and produce innovative products.”

(With input source)