Cheap Shoe Imports Hurting Domestic Footwear Industry

The import of cheap and low-quality footwear has caused serious damage to domestic shoe industry, says Ali Lashgari, a board member of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.
According to the official, from fiscal 2013-14 to fiscal 2020-21 (last Iranian year), a total of $2.12 billion worth of shoes were imported to Iran, mostly from China, the UAE, Turkey, Italy, India and Thailand.
“Considering the role of the UAE in [re-]export of Chinese products to Iran, it is estimated that about 88% of imported shoes come from China and the rest from Turkey, Italy, Thailand and India,” he was quoted as saying by ICCIMA’s news portal.
Italy has the highest average shoe export price of $57.72 per pair. The average for Chinese-made shoes was at $4.68. For Turkey, it stands at $3.38 and India $9.5. The average price of a pair of imported shoes in the world increased from $9.7 to $11.2 from 2010 to 2018.