Friends,
I have the great pleasure to welcome you all on this 3rd Buyer Seller Meet cum
Exhibition of Footwear Components, Accessories and Allied products at Mumbai, the
place well known for high fashioned and latest designed Leather Footwear for Gents
and Ladies for the domestic market. Mumbai is also the place from where large
volume of handmade Hurachi footwear originated and huge exports are being made
regularly to the developed countries worldwide.
This Exhibition, under the NLDP assisted programme, is our third national level
event, the first in Mumbai. Our similar Meet cum Exhibition at Ludhiana held on 20-
21st August '99 has been very successful and attracted about 2000 visitors with 1500
from the largely based unorganized footwear manufacturers. The Ludhiana Meet was
very fruitful and resulted with good business, volumes. So was our second exhibition
at Kanpur, held on 26'th -27'th Sept.99, one of the major leather and footwear centre for
domestic and exports, which attracted more than 1000 visitors and suggested for such
events to be organised minimum twice a year.
Our main objective is to reach the customers at the grass route level and "Create
Awareness make direct links" between the Buyers and Sellers of component and
accessories, the equipment suppliers and the institutes like FDDI and-CLRI offering
services for fashion designing and various training courses, which will help in up
gradation of the footwear quality.
Footwear Component sector has shown considerable growth in the last 7-8 years.
We have today the production set up for Plastic Last, almost all types of Soles.
Insoles, Toe puff and Counters, Fabrics, Metal Fittings etc in our country.
Unfortunately, the growth rate was badly affected due to drastic reduction in the
Customs Duty on finisKed components in the 1994 budget .
Customs duty for import are the lowest on Finished component and highest on the raw
materials required for producing Finished component in India . Import has been made
more attractive which in fact, has garlanded the international giants who were
producing from decades and has the best of infrastructures. Financial cost, equipments
and technology.
Sir, had we received the Govt. supports and given similar level playing Field we are
confident, we could have made India self reliance by now with substantial export
earning . I congratulate our component manufacturers for the growth in spite of all
odds against them when compared with global players. This certainly shows the
capabilities of our producers.
We are seriously looking forward for the support from the Govt. and other related
bodies without further loss oftime as we have a max of three years left before the
trade is opened globally. Any delay may cause serious consequences to the Footwear
and Component sector.
Footwear production and sales made a substantial shift towards Non Leather
material. we see uses of out soles from Rubber / PVC / TPR / PU / and EVA ,
Insoles from cellulose paper pulp and fabrics, toepuff/Counter from woven and non
woven fabric base, fittings from metals like aluminium. Brass and steel. Lining of
different types fabrics and even Upper materials having synthetic materials. Looking
in to such change in scenario, we Find the component sector has excellent support to
the backward integrated industries like Paper, Yam and Textiles, Rubber & Plastics,
Metal and Chemicals for adhesives and printings etc and at the same time help
considerably to the forward related industry i.e. Footwear, in their quality production
for domestics and exports market.
Not only this, growth of component sector can reduce our imports of components and
accessories can also earn valuable foreign exchange by Exports for our country. Our
participation at Pakistan and Bangladesh fairs has shown excellent potentials whereas
our recent participation at Lineapelle ( Italy ) and at GDS ( Germany ) in association
with NLDP has made us learn of the international standards with our present level of
quality, prices and volumes.
Are you aware that Exports of Indian Footwear Components and semi Finished
materials have already started. Our unit soles, cellulose insoles Sheets and other
materials are now exported and we are conFident of entering in the international
market with more Components with increased volumes in the near future. For this
however, it is very important for us to have regular such exposure in the developed
countries to enable change our mind concept towards global outlook.
Top
More
|
