Indian minister calls for greater emphasis on leather branding
India’s Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Shri Omar Abdullah, has called upon the country’s leather trade to make greater use of the support offered by the government and to step up its efforts in line with global imperatives.
Inaugurating the 9th Delhi International Shoe Fair last week, which was organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), Shri Abdullah said there would need to be a new emphasis on quality and branding if India is to emerge as a global leader.
"As such, the emphasis of the shoe industry has to be more on higher unit value realisation. In line with the creation of an India brand consciousness, Indian products need to be launched into higher market segments instead of meeting low price demands. It would also be imperative to diversify into new markets while carving out a greater niche into existing markets", the Minister added.
At the event, which was also attended by Smt. Rathi Vinay Jha, Chairperson & Managing Director, ITPO and Shri V.K. Srivastava, Vice Chairman, Council for Leather Exports (CLE), Shri Abdullah urged the footwear industry to respond more quickly to shifts in fashion on a global scale, adding that the process of anticipating these changes is not just desirable, but vital to the future of the industry.
