Quality norms for leather, non-leather footwear to be implemented from July: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi: The government will implement quality norms for leather and non-leather footwear from July this year, a move aimed at containing the import of sub-standard goods and boosting the domestic industry. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) needs to be followed for better quality and larger production, which eventually leads to good quality products for the consumers.

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He asked the industry to focus on quality and reduce import dependence to capture a larger share of the international market. "Quality Control Orders (QCO) for leather and non-leather footwear would be implemented with effect from 1 July 2023," the minister said. He was addressing a gathering here of over 100 industrialists engaged in manufacturing sports shoes in India.

"If industry stakeholders provided substantial facts/data regarding under-invoicing and undervaluing of imports, the government would take action," he added. Goyal also said that high-quality production and large capacities in the sector are the need of the hour. The minister expressed concern about the importing of low-quality and low-cost raw materials and said that the tendency needed to be addressed.

Goyal also stressed that dependence on the import of machinery needs to be reduced and domestic machinery manufacturers should be encouraged. He asked India's leading manufacturers to assess the trends of the countries with a larger global share in export.