FDDI to support Ethiopian leather producers
India’s Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) has signed an agreement with Ethopia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and Ministry of Capacity Building (MoCB). Under the agreement, the FDDI will help leather and footwear manufacturers upgrade technology and implement international standards.
According to the institute, the Ethiopian leather sector has a lot of potential as labour is cheap and the country has a strong raw material base. The Ethiopian government has already said it hopes to increase leather exports to $500 million within the next five years, a significant increase from the $101 million achieved in 2007-08. However, one of the main problems within the sector is that the technology in use is outdated, making it difficult for companies to produce high-quality goods in large quantities.
An FDDI delegation travelled to Ethiopia last November to assess the situation within the local leather and footwear industry and to look at ways of improving its competitiveness.
FDDI secretary, Shahsi Bhushan Shukla, said: “I am sure that the joint efforts of the FDDI and the ministry of Ethiopia towards technological development and benchmarking implementation will give a cutting edge to the Ethiopian leather industry in the international market.”
