A delegation of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brazil), led by members of the Brazilian Association of Shoe and Leather Components Industries (Assintecal), met the footwear exporters of Agra and discussed the avenues for establishing bilateral trade in footwear and components.
On this occasion, members of the Agra Footwear Exporters and Manufacturers Chamber (AFMEC) were also briefly introducted about the forthcoming trends in the international footwear fashions in the year 2010.
"The delegation comprising a group of Brazilian component manufacturing companies and their association was interested in marketing their products to the footwear exporters, who imported footwear components in large quantities each year," Pradeep Wasan, managing director, Wasan Group, told Business Standard.
He said that most of the components imported by the footwear manufacturers in Agra comprised a major part of the total cost of the footwear produced in the town and the exporters were always looking for ways to reduce their expenses on shoe components without compromising on the quality of the footwear produced.
"Some of the products like soles and lining etc, displayed by the delegation, had been found to be quite acceptable both in price as well as quality and some companies associated with AFMEC had expressed their interest in dealing with the Brazilian component manufacturing companies," he said.
Wasan claimed that the leather footwear industry of Agra has potential of exporting worth of Rs 10,000 crore but the lack of indigenously produced quality components and infrastructural difficulties faced by the industrial units had been bogging the industry down.
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On the other hand, better infrastructure and government support was the secret behind the phenomenal rise of China on the global footwear scene.