Council for Leather Exports

Why is in news? India has potential to become world leader in footwear & leather with efforts of both government & industry: Union Minister Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that India has the potential to become a world leader in footwear and leather with the efforts of both government and industry.

He was addressing the Council for Leather Exports National Export Excellence Award function in New Delhi.

The minister expressed hope to achieve higher exports than last year - both in goods and services. He asked the leather industry to utilise the free trade agreements being signed by India with various countries to grow.

The Leather industry, Leather Products, and Footwear Industry of India hold a prominent place in the Indian economy.

This industry is among the top ten foreign exchange earners for the nation and is renowned for its constancy in producing significant export revenues.

India has four main leather sectors: Tanning, Footwear, Leather Garments, Leather garments and Accessories.

The country accounts for 13% of the world’s total leather production. It is also the second-largest producer and consumer of leather footwear.

Council for Leather Exports:

The Council for Leather Exports (CLE) is the single largest and Apex trade promotion organisation of the strong and rapidly growing Indian leather & leather products industry.

CLE is committed towards the overall development of Indian leather sector and achieve higher export growth to enhance India’s share in global leather trade.

CLE is functioning under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India. It is the notified Export Promotion organization for entire leather & leather products industry.

Core Objectives of CLE:

Develop & strengthen the leather industry both industrial development as well as export growth.

Undertake concerted and aggressive export promotion and market development activities to extend global reach of Indian leather & leather products.

Assist importers anywhere in the world towards their sourcing needs of Indian leather & leather products.

Provide necessary assistance/guidance to overseas entrepreneurs in establishing business collaborations and strategic alliances with Indian companies.

Serve as a vital link between the Government and the leather industry, representing important policy measures, focusing on overall health and growth of the entire sector.

Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme (IFLDP): The IFLDP scheme was launched to develop the infrastructure, increase production, facilitate investments and generate employment in the leather industry of India. It is a central sector scheme. This scheme has six sub-schemes.