Iran stands as world’s 11th largest shoe producer
The head of footwear exports commission at Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade (MIMT) says the Islamic Republic is the 11th largest shoe producer in the world despite a sizable hike in smuggling foreign-made shoes into the country.
Javad Shabanzadeh, who is also the president of the mechanical shoe industry association of Qom Province, said the footwear industry is the “driving force” of 70 other industries and Iran maintains the 11th place in shoe production in the world.
Shabanzadeh described Qom as the hub of the country’s machine footwear production, saying more than 70% of the country’s exports are related to the province.
The official said the volume of global turnover in the shoe industry stands at 3 billion dollars, of which 100 million dollars belongs to Iran, with its shoes being sold at world’s markets for an average of four to 10 dollars a pair.
Pointing to the 600-million-population export targets in the neighboring countries, Shabanzadeh said as much as 50% of Iranian shoes are exported to Iraq and Afghanistan while exports to Tajikistan and Azerbaijan register an increase in the past years.
Shabanzadeh touched on the issue of shoe smuggling into the country, saying, “The entry of smuggled shoes had decreased in the past years, which unfortunately has increased sharply in the last two years and has grown by 70% based on field observations.”
The official pointed to the mechanism of the stock exchange and the price of raw materials, which is higher than the global average, as an effective factor in shoe smuggling.