India seeks further cooperation with Vietnam’s shoe industry
India seeks further cooperation with Vietnam’s shoe industry
“Vietnam and India, which are leading global footwear producers, have the potential to partner together for mutual benefit,” M. Rafeeque Ahmed, chairman of the Council for Leather Exports (CLE) India, said last week.
In his speech at a meeting between Vietnamese shoe companies and Indian leather producers in Ho Chi Minh City on July 14, the CLE chairman said the Vietnamese and Indian footwear associations are already in regular contact.
“Vietnamese and Indian companies can work together towards enhancing the international competitiveness of our respective sectors in terms of productivity, design, and best practice manufacturing,” he added.
In addition Ahmed also highlighted the cooperation the two countries have achieved, including India’s Central Leather Research Institute and the Vietnamese Leather and Shoe Research Institute committing to work together with a focus on cleaner technology options and improved effluent treatment technology.
Moreover, he also urged Vietnamese footwear companies not to miss the opportunity that India's domestic market offers, with the current domestic Indian market for footwear estimated to be worth about US$6.5 billion and expected to hit $12 billion by 2020.
“Now is the right time for Vietnamese companies to invest in manufacturing facilities in India that cater to the large domestic Indian market and for export,” the CLE chairman said, adding that India is a known source for quality raw leather material and skilled labor at competitive wages.
“We invite Vietnamese companies to India to partner with us or set up independent production units and take advantage of the many opportunities in our country,” he added.
Meanwhile, India’s leather products and footwear exports to Vietnam have been steadily increasing, according to Ahmed.
The latest reports reveal that India’s export of leather and leather products to Vietnam rose from $40.66 million in 2009-10 to $117.07 million by 2014-15.
During April-December 2015 alone, it peaked at $84.56 million.
Thursday’s meeting was part of a visit to Vietnam by a delegation including 41 Indian leather product manufacturers led by CLE, with the major activity being the 18th International Shoe & Leather Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City from July 13 to 15.
According to Ahmed, a Buyer Seller Meet between CLE and Vietnamese companies will also be held in Hanoi on July 18, at the arrangement of the Indian ambassador to Vietnam, Parvathaneni Harish.
