Import of shoes to the country has reduced from 60 percent to 20 percent while the export of locally manufactured shoes has increased, Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishard Bathiudeen said.
He stated this at a meeting with a group of leather goods manufacturers at the ministry.
In 2013, Sri Lanka earned Rs.3, 800 million from the export of shoes while it increased to Rs.11,700 million in 2015. Ministry statistics reveal it as 307 percent increase compared to 2013. During the first eight months of 2016, Sri Lanka earned Rs, 11,980 million from exports.
In Sri Lanka, there are about 4,000 people engaged in this sector.