According to figures from Guangdong Customs, the Chinese province exported a record quantity of footwear during 2003.

Exports increased 12.5% year-on-year to $5.18 billion and 10.2% to 2.08 billion pairs.

The number exported in retail-ready form declined 3% to 1.11 billion pairs ($3.68 billion or $0.96/pair) while the figure for unprocessed footwear rose 6% to 740 million pairs ($710 million or $3.31/pair).

The majority of footwear produced in Guangdong is for the medium and low end markets. The US is Guangdong’s biggest customer and in 2003 the province exported 970 million pairs to the country, valued at $3.1 billion. Exports declined 1.2% compared with 2002, however the business volume increased 7%.

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