Footwear manufacturers warn of unrest
24/06/2008
Small footwear manufacturers in several towns around Asunción have asked the Paraguayan government to take measures to stop contraband Chinese goods from entering the country.
Rubén González, head of the movement, has threatened to close roads and organise demontrations if the sector's demands are not dealt with by the government.
According to Mr González, approximately 5,000 people in towns such Ypacarai, Itauguá and Pirayú depend on shoe manufacturing to survive. He explained that producing a pair of shoes locally costs $5 on average. The same pair is sold for $8 or $9 in the domestic market. “But at those prices it is impossible to compete with Chinese products which are smuggled into the country at $3 a pair,” he said.
Manufacturers expect the new government of recently elected Fernando Lugo to take measures to solve the problem of contraband.
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