Indian footwear and leather exports to Wana (West Asia and North Africa) grew by 20 per cent in the first half of 2022.

In the Wana region, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are the major markets. Indian footwear and leather exports to the UAE grew by 31 per cent during the first half of 2022. Exports to Saudi Arabia grew by 22 per cent. The footwear and leather industry is emerging out of the pandemic slowdown when exports declined by 28 percent. However, there was a significant recovery in the last fiscal with exports registering a growth of 32 per cent overall and the growth trend is continuing this year as well.

India is working toward getting zero duty access through free trade agreements in leather goods, sportswear and footwear. About 7,000 small industries units are connected with the footwear sector which holds great significance to the economy and foreign exchange earnings of the country.Nearly 40 per cent employed in the sector are women and for every 1000 pairs that are produced or sold, 425 jobs are secured.

India is the second largest producer of footwear and leather garments. Practices like zero-waste discharge, salt-free tanning, and occupational health and safety interventionscan increase production and export ten times in the near future.