The Ukrainian government reports that Ukrainian shoe production in 2002 fell by 4.1% compared with the previous year, due to an increase in imports of cheap shoes from Asia, according to the Interfax news agency.
Ukrainian shoe imports in the first nine months of 2002 totalled 82.2 million pairs worth US$37.5 million, compared with 53 million pairs worth US$31.7 million in 2001.
American restrictions on Ukrainian shoe exports to the US was another reason for the lower production last year. The fall in domestic shoe production last year resulted in a corresponding fall in the demand for shoe leather, said the report.
