Rs 2 cr Agra leather sector project begins

The programme will equip shoemakers with modern manufacturing techniques

Five months after it was formally launched by the Union government, the Rs 2-crore umbrella project for the modernisation and upgrade of the leather industry of Agra finally took off this week.

As a first step, the first batch of 21 leather artisans are departing for the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) in Chennai for formal training before they could assume the role of "social mobilisers" among the leather artisans of Agra.

According to N N Sharma, project coordinator, CLRI, initially, the programme had been planned by the CLRI to impart training of shoe designing, leather processing etc to 100 people in batches of 25 each.

"The first batch of artisans has left for Chennai this week to receive training. "Following the training, these people, alongwith 60 others, who shall be designated as 'social mobilisers', shall train around 60,000 leather workers of Agra.

He said the Union government had set aside Rs 2 crore for this umbrella project and under the plan, leather workers will be taught to use the latest technologies of footwear manufacture, including computerised CAD/CAM systems.

"They will also learn the ways to use this training to increase Agra's share in footwear exports," he said.

Sharma said the leather footwear industry of Agra was making great advances over the past couple of years and at present, the industry earned more than Rs 1,000 crore through exports, manufacturing approximately 200,000 pairs of shoes every day.

While most of the shoes produced in the town are acceptable in the domestic market, for the global market the footwear will have to be much better in quality.

He said, "Agra's footwear industry is still composed of small-scale and unorganised footwear units. The leather footwear industry of Agra has been unable to make sufficient impact overseas and it seriously lacked the capability to enter in large-scale footwear manufacture. However, the project is expected to change the present scenario by enhancing skills of leather workers of Agra."