Tamil Nadu is the first state to introduce a new policy for the growth of footwear and leather. According to industry experts, this would boost leather-based product exports and expand job prospects, particularly for women.
Every year, leather items worth Rs 12,000 crores were exported from Dindigul, Tiruchy, Vellore, Vaniyambadi, and Erode to the United States and Europe. According to the Council for Leather Exports, it is a labor-intensive business that employs over 44 lakh people across the country (CLE). Around eight lakh people work in Tamil Nadu.
"A total of 49 tanneries operate in the district, processing 125 tonnes of hide each day and employing 6,000 trained and unskilled laborers," according to a top official of the TALCO-DINTEC (Dindigul Tanners Enviro Control Systems (P) Ltd.
“The Covid-19 outbreak, however, dealt a heavy blow to the industry and it has just started recovering from it. Till now, the State government was not concerned about the industry. We hope the policy would have guidelines to increase export and generate employment,” he hoped.
On the condition of anonymity, a representative from the Council for Leather Exports stated Tamil Nadu is the first state to publish a policy for the development of the footwear and leather industries. “At present, the industry is being steered only by a national policy. A State policy will definitely play a vital role in enhancing socio-economic development and women empowerment. In Tamil Nadu, 85 per cent of the skilled and unskilled labourers engaged in the industry are women,” he added.
