Last Updated on April 8, 2026 1:36 am by BIZNAMA NEWS
By Andalib Akhter
NEW DELHI: Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday underscored the pivotal role of the footwear industry in India’s economic landscape, describing it as a “backbone” due to its massive market scale and employment potential. Speaking at a high-level stakeholder interaction, the Minister noted that the sector currently commands a market size of approximately ₹1.5 lakh crore to ₹2 lakh crore.
Highlighting the labor-intensive nature of the trade, Singh emphasized its capacity for large-scale job creation. He also pointed toward the burgeoning potential of technical textiles, noting that the government has already deployed a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme worth over ₹10,600 crore to bolster this niche segment.
Addressing industry hurdles, Singh acknowledged persistent bottlenecks regarding raw material procurement and quality standards. He assured stakeholders that the Ministry is committed to resolving these systemic issues to enhance global competitiveness.
“Our goal is to make the industry more vibrant and address the challenges of raw materials and quality head-on,” Singh stated.
The session concluded with an optimistic outlook, as the Ministry pledged continued support to modernize the sector and integrate it more deeply into the global value chain.
The export of footwear, leather and leather products from India was to the tune of US $ 4.83 billion during 2024-25.
The industry is bestowed with an affluence of raw materials as India is endowed with 20% of world cattle & buffalo and 11% of world goat & sheep population. Added to this are the strengths of skilled manpower, innovative technology, increasing industry compliance to international environmental
standards, and the dedicated support of the allied industries.
The leather industry is an employment intensive sector, providing job to about 4.42 million people, mostly from the weaker sections of the society. Women employment is predominant in leather products sector with about 40% share.
India is the 2nd largest exporter of leather garments, 2nd largest exporter of Saddlery & Harness and 5th largest exporter of Leather Goods in the world.
The major production centers for footwear, leather and leather products in India are located in the States of Tamil Nadu – Chennai, Ambur, Ranipet, Vaniyambadi, Vellore, Pernambut, Trichy, Dindigul and Erode; West Bengal – Kolkata; Uttar Pradesh – Kanpur, Agra, Noida, Saharanpur; Maharashtra – Mumbai; Punjab – Jalandhar; Karnataka – Bengaluru; Telengana Hyderabad; Haryana – Ambala, Gurgaon, Panchkula, Karnal and Faridabad; Delhi; Madhya Pradesh – Dewas; Kerala – Kozhikode and Ernakulam / Cochin; Rajasthan; Jaipur; Jammu & Kashmir; Srinagar.