Made in Bihar: Russian Soldiers March in Boots from Hajipur

In Hajipur, Bihar, an amazing success story is taking place while the war between Russia and Ukraine is still going on. Russian troops are wearing boots that say “Made in Bihar” and were made in that country. Competence Exports is a private company that makes safety shoes for Russian businesses and fashion shoes for markets in Europe, such as the UK, France, Italy, and Spain.

The company’s general manager, Shib Kumar Roy, said, “We opened the Hajipur facility in 2018 to create jobs in the area.” We make safety shoes to sell in Russia. We’re also growing into Europe and are soon going to start selling in our own country.

Mazhar Pallumiah, who is in charge of fashion development, said that the company wants to make high-end shoes for foreign brands and has just started talking to a Belgian company about this. At first, they were hesitant, but possible partners were won over by the quality of their samples.

The business has done very well, and now it is one of the biggest suppliers to Russia. They sent out 1.5 million pairs worth ?100 crore last year, and they want to increase that number by 50% this year. Notably, 70% of their 300 workers are women, which shows how committed they are to hiring local people.

Roy stressed the importance of better facilities, like better roads and communication, to make doing business with Russian buyers easier. He also suggested starting a training center to lower the cost of getting people skilled before they start working. Even though it’s been hard to get the fashion business going in Bihar, Pallumiah is still positive about the future because the government and promoters are behind him.