Growth will be subordinated to the fight against illegality, warns Alejandro Gómez Tamez, executive chairman of the Chamber of Footwear Industry of the State of Guanajuato (CICEG). El Sol de Léon reports that data at the end of 2021 indicate a growth of 17.4% for the leather-footwear-leather goods supply chain, compared to 2020, still 21.3% lower than in 2019.
Based on information from CICEG, the footwear and leather goods sectors are recovering and this year it is estimated that 202 million pairs of shoes will be produced, although the figure is low compared to 2019 when they produced 250 million pairs but represents a recovery of almost 24% in annual production.
In 2020, because of the pandemic caused by Covid 19, they produced 163 million pairs, which means 35% less than in 2019. Due to low production, 10% of companies have closed permanently.
In the same year, before the closure of markets and borders, especially in United States, there were 15 million pairs of exports, which represents a decrease of 32% compared to 2019 when 22 million pairs were exported.
In 2021, the sector closed exports for over 29 million pairs, a historic figure, which means a great opportunity.
Finally, about imports, it was reported that last year there were 96 million pairs of footwear, which means a growth of 33%, since in 2020 72 million pairs were imported.
