Made In Bihar: Hajipur Facility Makes Boots For Russian Army
India and Russia have a long history of trade relations involving a diverse range of goods. Among them, the most recent addition is Bihar-made boots. Russian soldiers are marching with the specialised military boots made by Competence Exports, a footwear manufacturing facility in Bihar‘s Hajipur.
Besides safety shoes, the company is also planning to launch designer footwear tailored for European markets.
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“We started the Hajipur facility in 2018 with the primary goal of generating local employment. Here, we manufacture safety shoes for export to Russia. We are also gradually expanding to Europe and plan to launch in the domestic market soon,” Shib Kumar Roy, General Manager of Competence Exports, told ANI.
Roy also underlined the specialised features of the shoes, which were crafted to meet the requirements of the Russian military. “The shoes should be lightweight, slip-resistant, have special features in the sole, and withstand extreme weather conditions like -40 degree Celsius. We manufacture the safety shoes, considering these conditions,” he said.
The Competence Exports has attained significant success with the manufacturing of safety shoes and emerged as one of the largest exporters to Russia. It is now planning to advance to European markets, wherein it will increase exports by 50 percent in the coming year following shipments of 1.5 million pairs valued at Rs 100 crore last year, MoneyControl reports.
The company’s head of fashion development and marketing, Mazhar Pallumiah, said that they plan to develop high-end shoes for international brands and have started discussions with a Belgian company.
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Roy told ANI that the ambition of Danesh Prasad, the company’s MD, is to make a world-class factory in Bihar and their commitment to provide state employment. Besides, he highlighted that 70 percent of their workforce consists of women.
In order to advance operations, the company requires improved infrastructure and support for skilled manpower from the Bihar government.
However, despite the challenges posed by limitations in infrastructure, the company remains optimistic about its future.
