Footwear exporters keep sights high despite economy

The Vietnamese leather industry targets footwear export growth of 12-13 percent this year.

Nguyen Duc Thuan, chairman of the Leather and Footwear Association, said the year would be tough for producers, with their customers severely affected by the global economic downturn, but they have still set the bar high.

Footwear exports were worth US$4.7 million last year as they grew 17.6 percent from 2007.

“We have had a share of the market for many years and hope to retain it,” Thuan said.

He told Thanh Nien Daily that the problem for the industry is the usual labor shortage after Tet (Lunar New Year) later this month, when workers fail to return from their hometowns.

Pham Do Chi, formerly of the International Monetary Fund, was quoted by Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper as saying the industry is likely to achieve high growth though the downturn would affect the global market until the end of 2009.

Demand for wallets, hats and cases would remain high, he said, without providing details.

But the industry should expand to new markets like Africa and the Middle East, he added.

The EU removed Vietnamese footwear from a preferential list on January 1 while Vietnamese exporters have faced lawsuits in the European bloc since 2006 and Brazil recently.

Minh Quang

Thanh nien

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