Leather goods and footware expo on cards

The 10^th edition of the Leather Goods and Footwear Expo is going to be held on December 25-31.

"Though, the profession of making leather goods dates back to historic age in Nepal, the China-made Bansabari Leather Industry was the first to manufacture the leather footwear," according to the Leather Footwear and Goods Manufacturers' Association of Nepal that has claimed that there are over 700 leather goods and footwear producers, which are providing some 30,000 direct employment and 250,000 indirect employment.

After Bansbari Leather was privatised in 1992, the company could not last long forcing the private sector to come forward with their leather products.

Meanwhile, the association has also registered a collective trade mark to help stop fake products in the name of made in Nepal, protect domestic manufacturers and create employment at home. "The domestic products have the capacity to substitute imports," said president of the association Homnath Upadhyay.

Currently, 45 per cent of the market is flooded with foreign brands of footwear. However, GoldStar shoes produced by Kiran Shoes has also been started to be exported since past years.