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SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka’s Leather Footwear Advisory Council (LFAC)
has said the country’s footwear industry is expected to see a healthy
growth due to the increase in per capita footwear sales. At present it has
reached an average of two pairs per person, according to the LFAC.
Currently, 15 footwear companies are operating in the country under
different brands and non-brands. Sri Lanka’s footwear exports during
2009/10 were $17 million, whereas leather and leather products export
were $13 million. Industry sources said the sector is in need of the latest
technology and machinery to improve footwear production in the country.
VIETNAM
Vietnam’s exports across all sectors for the January-July 2011 period
had an estimated value of $51.5 billion. Of this total, leather footwear exports had
a value of $3.6 billion for January-July 2011 compared to $2.75 billion for the same
period in 2010.
CHINA
During the first six months of 2011, China’s exports of
leather shoes had a value of $4.9 billion, up from $4.4 billion in
the January-June period of 2010, growth of 11.4%, according to
the China Leather Industry Association.
UNITED STATES
The Footwear
Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA)
has issued a statement welcoming the
reintroduction of the Affordable Footwear Act
(AFA) in the United States House of
Representatives. If passed, AFA would
eliminate approximately $800 million in duties
on a variety of different types of footwear,
including lower-priced children’s footwear,
outdoor shoes and some athletic shoes.
ARGENTINA
A study by
an independent research
consultancy, IES, has found
that footwear imports are on
the increase in Argentina.
The study put the value of
footwear imports into the
country in the first five months
of 2011 at $193 million, an
increase of just over 50% on
the same period last year.
Volume increased too over the
five-month period, from 6.8
million pairs to 7.6 million, an
increase of 12.1%. IES went on
to say that Brazil’s share of the
footwear import market in
Argentina reduced from 53% in
the first five months of 2010 to
45.8%. At the same time,
China’s share increased from
22% to 29%.
PHILIPPINES
The city government
of Marikina, has announced exemption
and relief of business tax to the city’s
local producers of leathergoods including
footwear, in its bid to boost the city’s
shoe industry.
The government has passed an ordinance
on ‘Business Tax Exemption and Relief to
Local Footwear Manufacturer and Other
Leather Goods of Marikina’ granting tax
relief to new footwear and leather
products businesses.
City Mayor Del de Guzman said the
manufacturers will be exempted from
paying business tax in the first year of
their operation from the date of their
application for license. They will get 75%,
50% and 25% discounts in business tax in
their second, third and fourth years of
operation, respectively.
CAMBODIA
A footwear
association has been granted
permission by the Cambodian
Government to operate under the
umbrella of the Garment
Manufacturers Association in
Cambodia (GMAC).
Representatives of 37 of the 38
footwear factories operating in the
country approved this move. Minister
of Commerce, Cham Prasidh, while
talking with GMAC members and
footwear factory owners, said that it
was not easy for the factories to
individually approach the
Government to resolve their issues,
and having an association could help
in finding solutions to the problems
faced by the industry.
The footwear sector in Cambodia has
registered a year-on-year rise of
55.8%. Last year the industry
exported footwear items worth
around $172 million.