With footwear majors Pou Chen Corporation and Feng Tay making the state their home in India, the Tamil Nadu government is betting huge on the non-leather footwear sector with a target of setting up massive manufacturing units in 20 locations, especially in rural areas, over a period of three years.
The government feels the labour-intensive industry will provide jobs to at least 15,000 to 20,000 people, especially women, in each location, which will further fuel the rural economy. Of the 20 locations, factories in three are already functional and things are moving fast in another three, while efforts are on to woo major footwear manufacturers from southeast Asia to set up their shops in Tamil Nadu. “Our goal is to have 20 such units across the state by 2025. We are talking to several footwear manufacturers from Taiwan, and a few from South Korea. Talks with a couple of firms from Taiwan are at an advanced stage and we hope to finalise the deal soon,” a senior government official told DH, refusing to divulge the names of the compaines.
In the past few months, Pou Chen, Feng Tay and Kothari-Phoenix Group have pledged investments worth Rs 6,000 crore for setting up non-leather footwear manufacturing units in Kallakurichi, Ranipet, Bargur, Cheyyar, and Tindivanam, which will provide jobs to nearly 80,000 people. The ultimate aim is to attract investments worth Rs 20,000 crore in the sector by 2025.
