Minister calls for export growth through FTAs and innovation.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal has urged the leather and footwear industry to target exports of at least USD 15 billion over the next five to six years by leveraging India’s Free Trade Agreements, diversifying export markets and strengthening quality, design, branding, sustainability and scale. Speaking at the Council for Leather Exports National Export Excellence Awards for 2024-25 in New Delhi, he said the sector, which currently exports goods worth around USD 4-4.5 billion, has the potential to achieve threefold growth.
Shri Goyal said India’s Free Trade Agreements with developed and emerging markets would create significant opportunities for the sector and encouraged exporters to diversify beyond traditional destinations. He also called for greater emphasis on quality standards, design, brand building, technology adoption, sustainability and skill development to improve global competitiveness, while urging the industry to make full use of government support for exports and international market expansion.
Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)
