Leather and footwear exports expected to grow in double digits this fiscal: CLE (#1688164)

India’s leather and footwear exports are expected to increase by more than 12% year on year to total $5.3 billion in the 2025 financial year thanks to strong international demand, according to the Council for Leather Exports’ chairman Rajendra Kumar Jalan.

“Our exports were $4.69 billion in 2023 to 2024, and this fiscal, we are expecting it to increase to $5.3 billion,” said the Council for Leather Exports’ chairman Rajendra Kumar Jalan, the Press Trust of India reported. “Order books are good for the coming months… huge demand is coming from the US and UK.”

Numerous international businesses are looking at taking their trade ties with India a step further and establishing manufacturing bases in the country. This would help to create employment opportunities in India, especially due to the labour intensive nature of the sector. The domestic leather industry already provides employment to approximately 42 lakh people, ET Retail reported. 

“The sector has the potential to reach a total turnover of $47 billion by 2030, which includes the domestic production of $25 billion and export turnover of $13.7 billion,” said Jalan. The CLE chairman asked the government to extend its Production Linked Incentive scheme to the leather industry and remove import duty on finished leather to help it achieve its export target.