Several thousands manufacturers of footwear industry have either shut down their businesses or fallen prostrate across the country before the galloping imports of cheap Chinese products in the domestic market in recent years.
Market sources told Business Recorder on Friday that they have lost 80 percent of their sales due to the large imports of Chinese footwear products, which had completely blown the domestic industry with comparatively low-priced items and they demanded of the government to evolve pro-industrial policies.
They pointed out that around 90 percent of small and home-based footwear industries had been effected by the Chinese items and could result in complete demise of such industries in the country.
"Small footwear industries mainly producing shoes made of nylon, rubber and leather were mostly being used by labour class or a greater poor section of the society to have been hit badly by the lower-priced Chinese footwear in the domestic market," a market source said.
The reason he set forth for the glut of Chinese footwear items on the local market, was their lower pricing to attract the consumers to buy them keeping in view their disposability, and buy new such Chinese made footwear pair.
"Without any incentives from government the local industry can not boom and will suffer more in the wake of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China and the emerging situation for local manufacturers will be 'worse than death'," he expressed apprehension.
He observed that around 80 percent of local footwear sale had reduced in the wake of imported Chinese items occupying spaces in the domestic market unrestrictedly and rapidly which could bring about its further decline, unless local industries were prioritised to their augmentation.
He pointed out that presently only one way, which was mostly now followed by the small industrialists, is to convert their businesses into any other lucrative businesses from footwear manufacturing to sustain in the market.
However, the Chinese items have provided the local manufacturers with an opportunity to compete them with improved quality and standards of products and lower-prices, he said and added, that following the concept of market competition some of the prominent industries had again started recording a good ratio of footwear sale.
To a question, he replied that Pakistan had no friends in the context of economic market therefore it had realised to establish closer and cordial economic ties with China particularly in the region to achieve economic stability.
Regarding free trade with China, he said that Pakistan would have no such greater economic benefits from it due to Pakistan was an agricultural country and it had no such competitive industrial products to take place in Chinese market.
"This (free trade) will further bring about the fall of small industries in the country and will only help Chinese products arrive in the local market," he pointed out.
Urging on government, he said it should stress on Chinese government to set up small industries in Pakistan, which would bring about the resurrection of such dead industries, besides playing major role in the country's economic revival.
He alleged government for not taking serious interest to salvage the small industries and said that government's economic policies in last five years failed to produce results because they had been in doldrums.
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