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Indian exporters urged to comply with QCO for footwear industry

05 May '23

2 min read

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Indian commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal recently criticised the footwear industry for not complying with the October 2020 quality control order for the leather and footwear sector and seeking more time to comply.
The QCO was introduced with consultations with the industry and the implementation date has been extended twice before, he said.

The Indian minister for commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, has recently expressed his dissatisfaction with the footwear industry for failing to adhere to the quality control order (QCO) for the leather and footwear sector, which was issued in October 2020, and requesting additional time to comply.

He was addressing an award ceremony of the Federation of Indian Exporters Organisations (FIEO).

The government was earlier urged by players in the industrial sector to extend the implementation of the QCO by 12 months as businesses are not yet prepared to follow the norms.

Goyal, however, said no QCO is introduced without adequate consultations with the industry. These orders were issued after detailed consultations with the industry and not suo moto, he was quoted as saying by a news agency.

He accused the industry of running a campaign against the order through the media as well.

Out of the three QCOs, one on protective footwear was already implemented from January 2022 and the remaining would come into force from July 1 this year.

"We have extended twice on the request of the industry...Now where is the question of still not able to comply. There is some vested interest...Similar issue was there in toys also," he added.

Requirements under the QCO for manufacturers include establishing testing laboratories, obtaining Bureau of Indian Standards licences and adhering to the rules for issuing the ISI mark.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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