New Delhi: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal said India has the potential to become a world leader in Footwear and leather sector with the efforts of both government and industry. He was addressing the gathering at the Council for Leather Exports National Export Excellence Award function here recently.
In his address to the awardees, Goyal asked the organisers to explore the possibility of encouraging new companies, entrepreneurs, startups and those who come up with innovative ideas, enter into uncharted territory with newer markets and products, by recognizing them through these awards. He suggested some niche award segments can be created for recognizing their contribution such as rewarding those who make effective use of FTAs, etc.
The Minister said as we celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, we hope to achieve higher exports than last year - both in goods and services. He said while most of the developed world, who are large consumers of leather products, are going through inflation and subdued consumer spending, he was happy to get reassurance from Leather sector that it would see higher growth compared to last year.
Goyal noted the concerns of the leather industry about import duties on certain types of Leather and assured that it will be taken up for consideration. He also urged the industry stakeholders to avail MOOWR scheme by Department of Revenue, wherein no duty is to be paid on goods which are being imported for the purpose for exports. This will certainly help make business more competitive, he added.
The Minister emphasised that Indian Industry has huge untapped potential. He noted that while the quality of products manufactured is good, more focus is required on packaging and branding to get better value for the product. Indian Mission across the world can help in providing support in terms of outreach and can help connect them with international companies engaged in branding business.
Goyal informed that the Government is working on formulating a new scheme to support manufacturing of machinery required in the industry. He asked the industry to take advantage of all the schemes of the government. He asked the industry to look at innovation and sustainability in their products. He also called for new collaborations with international companies to bring high quality products into India. /BI/
