Footwear sector demands incentives

Asks for workable plan to widen export base, meet production target

LAHORE:

Footwear manufacturers of Pakistan have requested the government to draft a workable plan for the footwear segment in a bid to boost Pakistan’s export base as well as meet domestic production target.

Speaking at the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association (PFMA) Chairman Imran Malik pointed out that for a long time the sector had been under-performing.

“The sector is suffering despite the fact that Pakistan ranks seventh among the largest footwear producing countries around the world,” he said.

The PFMA chairman revealed that the footwear industry of Pakistan had an employment base of 2 million and produced 411 million pairs annually with domestic consumption at 424 million pairs per year.

He elaborated that 24 million pairs of footwear were imported every year while 11 million pairs were exported to leading European countries. Pakistan enjoys just 0.1% share in world’s footwear export market which is worth $142 billion.

“In order to enhance market share and lift productivity, the industry needs support from provincial as well as federal governments,” he said.

He emphasised that the footwear sector of the country had immense potential to generate employment, earn foreign exchange and reduce the balance of payments gap.

He recommended that at the provincial level, the government must lease land to the PFMA for its operations and establish a footwear park in the designated industrial zone to help the industry enhance its export capacity.

Similar to the Italian government, the provincial government of Punjab must announce financial grant for the Italian-Pakistan Footwear Technology Centre, which would help the industry improve its technical skills and produce products on a par with international standards, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2020.

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