A surprise item from India is helping the military forces of Russia march across the vast plains of Ukraine: specialized military boots. The Russian army has always preferred the boots marked “Made in Bihar,” which are manufactured in the dusty, agricultural town of Hajipur in Bihar.
In recent times, Hajipur, the second-fastest-developing city in Bihar after Patna, has gained international acclaim for its proficiency in the production of footwear. These highly sought-after boots are made by Hajipur-based Competence Exports, a private enterprise.
The company intends to introduce designer shoes specifically designed for European markets in addition to producing safety boots for Russian consumers.
“We started the Hajipur facility in 2018 with the primary goal of generating local employment,” Shib Kumar Roy, general manager of the firm, told the media.
“We produce safety shoes here to ship to Russia. Along with steadily entering the European market, we also intend to soon enter the home market.”
So how did Russia find the local shoe manufacturer of a small town in Bihar to be a “good fit” for its soldiers?
Competence Exports creates boots that are strong enough to withstand the demands of the Russian military.
Shib Kumar Roy discussed the unique characteristics of safety shoes, saying that they should be slip-resistant, lightweight, have a particular type of sole, and be able to survive extremely cold temperatures (-40 degrees Celsius).
“We take these conditions into account when manufacturing the shoes,” he added.
The company is now among the biggest exporters to Russia as a result of the overwhelming response. Their goal for the upcoming year is to boost their exports by 50% from the 1.5 million pairs they exported last year, which was valued at Rs 100 crore.
Russia and India have a long history of trade, involving a wide range of products, from machinery to pharmaceuticals. By using these boots, which are produced in Bihar, the alliance is even furthering India’s objective of producing defense equipment.
According to Roy, one of the goals of the company’s MD, Danesh Prasad, is to establish a “world-class factory in Bihar” and increase state employment.
Roy went on, “We are trying our best to give employees maximum employment,” noting another important component of its workforce: women make up 70% of the 300 employees.
Roy pointed out that even though the Bihar government has encouraged and supported the industrial sector, more advancements are still required.
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He pointed out that in order to facilitate easy communication with Russian purchasers, the government must move forward with building infrastructure, including roads and communication systems.
“We also need skilled labor, and in order to obtain it, a training facility should be established; if not, we will need to train the employees before onboarding them,” he continued.
According to a survey done by officials in 2022, 143 skill development centers in Bihar that provided training to young people as part of the state government’s Kushal Yuva program (KYP) were either non-existent or did not have the trainers or human resources staff needed to meet the program’s requirements.
