The Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) finalised by India will create significant opportunities for the leather goods and footwear sector, helping boost exports to $ 14 billion by 2030, CLE has said.
Council for Leather Exports (CLE) Chairman Ramesh Kumar Juneja said that they are eagerly waiting for a trade pact with the US, as it is India's largest export destination.
A successful conclusion of India-US agreement will secure preferential access for the sector over competing nations, he said.
1 June 2026
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The FTAs with regions such as the European Union, UK, New Zealand will define the next chapter of growth for the industry, he said.
"Our industry aims to make optimum use of these emerging opportunities and reach an export target of $ 14 billion by 2030, as part of an overall industry turnover target of $ 50 billion," Juneja said.
He added that trade agreements with UAE, Oman, Mauritius, Australia, EFTA with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein have all aided the domestic exporters.
The sector has recorded positive growth in exports to several key markets, including the UAE, the Netherlands, Australia, Korea, Russia, and Japan.
India's leather and footwear exports stood at $ 4.75 billion in the last fiscal, with Tamil Nadu accounting for $ 1.59 billion, or nearly 37 %, of the country's exports from the sector. Women make up over 40 % of the state's workforce in the industry.
"Our industry's own five-year plan is to generate employment for an additional 2.2 million people while reaching a total turnover of $ 50 billion by 2030," Juneja said, adding that these FTAs now place the sector on equal or better footing than the global competitors.
He also said that the Council will pursue a comprehensive action plan to convert this opportunity into reality through an aggressive marketing plan overseas, deeper tie-ups with international leather and footwear industry associations, strengthening of our domestic supply chain, active efforts to attract FDI from large global companies, and organising large-scale exhibitions.
The chairman was speaking at the presentation of CLE Export Excellence Awards 2026 here on July 6.
