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A total of 19 Indian exhibitors from the Indian Footwear Component Manufacturers Association (IFCOMA) and one Chinese exhibitor are also taking part in the event, which was first held in 2007.
The sixth edition, organised by the Export Development Board, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Industrial Development Board and the Sri Lanka Footwear and Leather Products Manufacturers’ Association (SLFLPMA), is the international level platform for Lankan footwear and leather product exporters, manufacturers and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to showcase their talents and capabilities locally and globally.
The three-day exposition at the BMICH which concludes tomorrow (9) includes events as a designer award ceremony, an exclusive fashion show and a stall competition.
“This event is a strong platform for networking and market diversification for Lankan stakeholders,” said Bathiudeen. “What is more interesting is that this event is also taking place at a time when our footwear and leather exports are showing a strong growth trend. Having successfully completed five editions, the EDB is organising the sixth event with the valuable support of the Industrial Development Board, Sri Lanka Footwear and Leather Products Manufacturers’ Association and other stakeholders – especially the over 40,000 strong workforce in this sector.
“As you are aware, the leather and footwear industry of Sri Lanka has also been identified as a thrust industry for development. Accordingly, the Ministry has taken many initiatives to safeguard local manufacturers and also to develop and promote exports. I also wish to commend producers and exporters in this sector as well as award-winning Sri Lankan footwear exporters in Sri Lanka such as Michelangelo Group which are successfully supplying to global footwear brands such as JC Penny, John Lewis and Bata Switzerland and even the competitive Italian market.
“Our domestic supply source is bovines, and the numbers of Sri Lanka’s bovines have registered an encouraging 19% increase from 2002 to 2012. Despite this, the increasing demand for our products creates the need for more raw material and inputs. India has become a steady supplier of raw material to this sector. The strong presence of Indian exhibitors today is a sign of cooperation between both countries to meet global market demands. It also shows that working together, we can achieve more.”
Sitendra Senaratne, Chairman of the sixth Footwear and Leather Fair organising committee, and a longstanding name in this industry, addressing the event praised the Government and the Minister of industry and Commerce for the assistance extended to the sector.
“We thank the Minister of Industry and Commerce for the continuous assistance given to us. We also praise President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the relief measures given to the footwear and leather sector since the 2009 Budget and his announcement for duty free imports of machinery for footwear, leather and accessories industries, so that not only large-scale, but even medium and small manufacturers imported machinery and modernised the factories. As a result, today, we are happy to say that we are self-sufficient in shoes. Duty protections were also given by the Government to safeguard the local industry from imports.”
