New Delhi: The government will introduce quality norms for leather and non-leather footwear from July this year, with an aim to prevent import of substandard goods and boost domestic industry. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that there is a need to adhere to BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) for better quality and mass production, which ultimately leads to good quality products for the consumers.
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He asked the industry to focus on quality and reduce dependence on imports to capture a larger share of the international market. “The Quality Control Order (QCO) for leather and non-leather footwear will come into effect from July 1, 2023,” the minister said. He was addressing a gathering of over 100 industrialists engaged in the manufacturing of sports shoes in India.
“If industry stakeholders provide sufficient facts/data regarding under-invoicing and undervaluing of imports, the government will take action,” he added. Goyal also said that high quality production and large capacity is the need of the hour in this sector. The minister expressed concern over the import of low quality and low cost raw material and said that this trend needs to be addressed.
Goyal also emphasized that there is a need to reduce the dependence on import of machinery and encourage domestic machinery manufacturers. He asked India’s leading manufacturers to assess the trends of countries with a large global share in exports.