Shoemakers urged to do more footwork

Footwear producers need to pay greater attention to design in order to exploit the domestic market as well as boost exports, HCM City Leather and Footwear Association General Secretary Nguyen Van Khanh told an international conference on Tuesday.

Parallel to the conference, a four-day footwear and leather exposition was kicked off at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City’s District 7, drawing about 120 footwear and leather goods manufacturers from 13 countries and territories.

Representatives from 11 countries and territories attended the conference including Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, the US and Germany.

The conference would help Vietnamese footwear businesses learn more from their foreign counterparts, Khanh said.

Members of the Leather and Footwear Association were already aiming to penetrate the South African market, with the first fact-finding trip to South Africa by domestic footwear makers to be held in November, Khanh said.

Viet Nam produces some 800 million pairs of shoes per year, of which over 700 million are exported. With an annual export growth of 10-15 per cent over the past five years, Viet Nam has become the world’s fourth leading footwear supplier, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa.

The ministry has approved a plan for the industry’s growth under which the sector aimed to earn US$13 billion annually by 2020. Domestic content would also increase from the current 30-35 per cent to 70 per cent by 2020.

Exports last year totalled $4.1 billion, mainly to the US and Japan, despite difficulties caused by the global recession. In the first seven months of this year, exports reached $2.79 billion, an increase of 15.3 per cent over the same period a year ago.

Shoemakers were confident that the industry-wide export value this year would reach a record of $5.4 billion as many of them have already signed high-value export contracts to be filled before year’s end. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam Footwear, Vietnam Footwear Exports