Local manufacturers welcome import controls
Ecuador’s leather and footwear sectors have welcomed moves by the government to limit imports into the South American country.
The measures mean importers will have to pay a $10 import tax on each pair of shoes that they bring into Ecuador.
Lilia Villavicencio, president of the footwear manufacturers’ association in Tungurahua Province, told local media: “This will be of great benefit to us. It should not be too long before our member companies are producing at full capacity again, instead of at 50%, which they are at the moment.
The president of the National Tanners’ Association (ANCE), Eduardo Lanas, said the measures would “inject new life” into the tanning sector in Ecuador, but warned that the government would need to follow up with strict border and customs control, to stop smugglers from bringing imported goods into the country illegally.
