IPOH, Aug 5 – The Perak government wants to capitalise on the 400 smalltime shoemakers in Ipoh by allocating a specific area for a “Shoe City”.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said the Shoe City would come complete with showrooms and rows of shops selling quality shoes to attract investors and tourists.
He said the present shoemaking areas which had been a cottage industry for about 100 years would be maintained and upgraded to make them more attractive.
“Perak is famous for its shoes, not only pomeloes. The Malaysian shoe industry rakes in sales of RM1 billion annually, of which RM650 million is contributed by Perak,” he said after launching the Malaysian Shoe Design 2010 competition here today.
Zambry was hopeful that the Shoe City idea would make Perak one of the world’s best shoemaking centres in the world.
Meanwhile, Perak Shoe Industry Association chairman KK Tham said the shoe industry in the Kinta Valley managed to survive because of the quality of its shoes.
He said the shoemakers were in high demand by wholesalers from Kuala Lumpur who made orders of up to five lorry-loads daily. – Bernama
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