Industry in recovery, but with obstacles
For Fernando De Vito -vice president of the Chamber of the Footwear Industry (CIC) of Buenos Aires-, as of the end of 2021, the industry registered a continuous recovery, after the previous health crisis.
"Many of our factories are already with a production higher than that of 2019, the last comparable year before the pandemic", he told local media.
However, he also mentioned three factors that impact footwear demand and production: inflation, imports, and price increases. In this sense, the limitations on imports generate shortages in supplies and concern among manufacturers.
For their part, wages increased by 84%, leather 85%; adhesives 132%; and synthetics 150%. In other words, prices of raw materials showed increases, even higher than inflation.