Footwear exports soar in first four months

The export of bags, suitcases, umbrellas and hats climbed to US$821 million in the reviewed period, up 48% against the corresponding months in 2013.

The earnings from footwear exports to the traditional markets of the US, Japan, Belgium, Germany and France soared stably in the January-April period, in addition to smaller importers, including Chile (up 80.85%), Israel (120.41%), Greece (78.2%) and Poland (161.7%).

The turnover was also driven by the recovery of consumption in major importing nations, especially within the European Union.

The Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) expects footwear exports to prosper due to the development of a competitive edge, the introduction of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) taxes and the forthcoming signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.

The association also asserted that Vietnam's footwear and bags have competitive advantages in the US, Japan and other TPP member states.

It encouraged domestic footwear producers to innovate their existing technologies to increase productivity as well as improve the quality of products.

(Source: Nhandan Online)