'Made in Bihar': Russian Army wears boots manufactured in Hajipur

NEW DELHI: Bihar's Hajipur is gaining recognition for producing safety shoes for the Russian army and designer shoes for European markets. Competence Exports, a private limited company based in Hajipur, has been manufacturing these shoes since 2018 with the primary goal of creating local employment opportunities.
Last year, the company exported 1.5 million pairs of shoes, amounting to Rs 100 crore, and they aim to increase this by 50% in the coming year.
"Not just in Hajipur, we are India's largest exporter to Russia and we expect the numbers to expand day by day," Shib Kumar Roy, the general manager of the facility said.
Roy said that the safety shoes made for the Russian army are designed to be "lightweight, slip-resistant, have special features in the sole, and withstand extreme weather conditions like -40 degrees Celsius."

"We started the Hajipur facility in 2018, and the main interest is to generate local employment. At Hajipur, we make safety shoes that are meant to be exported to Russia. Total exports are for Russia, and we are also slowly working on Europe and will launch in the domestic market soon," Roy told news agency ANI.
The company's managing director, Danesh Prasad, aims to establish a world-class factory in Bihar and contribute to state employment. Out of the 300 employees at the facility, 70% are women.
In addition to safety shoes, the Hajipur facility also exports luxury designer or fashion shoes to European markets, including Italy, France, Spain, and the UK. Mazhar Pallumiah, head of fashion development and marketing for the company, notes that despite initial reservations from foreign companies, they were assured upon receiving samples. The company is expecting visits from some companies next month.
"Our aim is to develop high-end shoes for international brands. We recently started negotiations with a Belgian company as well," the head of fashion development and marketing for the company, Mazhar Pallumiah said.
While the Bihar government has been supportive of industries, Roy believes that improvements in infrastructure, such as roads and communication, are necessary to facilitate easier communication with buyers from Russia. He also emphasizes the need for ready-skilled manpower and suggests setting up a training institute to provide skill-ready workers.
"We also want ready-skilled manpower, and for that, a training institute should be set up so that we get skill-ready manpower, otherwise, we have to train the workers before inducting them," he said.