The Council for Leather Exports has requested the government to extend the Production Linked Incentives (PLI) scheme to the leather, leather products and footwear sector, said Israr Mecca, Regional Chairman – Council for leather exports, southern region.

“PLI will be a game-changer for the industry and help attract domestic and foreign investment.” he said via a video conference held to announce the upcoming exhibition – SHOETECH.

The Indian Footwear Components Manufacturers Association (IFCOMA) and the Indian Footwear Federation (ISF) are organizing SHOETECH, an exhibition on the leather and footwear industry on July 22-23 in Vellore.

During the event, J. Suresh Kumar, Director, Country Manager of Clarks India Services Pvt. Ltd, spoke about the challenges facing the industry. “Among the main challenges India faces are its lack of component manufacturing infrastructure to meet global demand, a shortage of sole molding shops and the need for a larger pool of competent talent. Addressing these issues quickly would raise India’s profile at this unprecedented time for the supply market,” he said.

Moin Zainullauddin, Director of Sourcing at Skechers South Asia Pvt Ltd, said: “For Skechers, we see polyurethane (PU) sourcing as a possible constraint. It is encouraging to see manufacturers of materials and components willing to produce the product required for sports shoes in India itself, but we have to match the technology/quality standards with the brand requirements, which again is a challenge.

Habib Hussain, Chairman of the Footwear Federation of India, thanked the Tamil Nadu government for declaring Ambur as a leather footwear export hub. Sanjay Gupta, president of the Indian Footwear Components Manufacturers Association, said IFCOMA had requested government assistance to conduct a survey of the components sector and explore the possibility of joint ventures with Spanish, Taiwanese and Taiwanese companies. and Italian for specific components that are currently imported. “We are also looking for support in terms of the Integrated Leather Development Program (IDLS) through facilities and machinery grants,” he said.

SHOETECH Vellore will have 98 exhibitors and 119 booths and around 1,000 visitors are expected from inside and outside India. International brands like Clarks, Marks & Spencers, Timberland and Kickers France are among the brands/buyers who will be present.