PESHAWAR, Aug 15: The traditional footwear industry of the NWFP is in a shamble following growing penetration of low-priced Chinese made shoes in the local market, manufacturers say.

Chinese shoes captured the city market owing to their low prices and varieties during the last couple of years. Every mart of the provincial metropolis has been flooded with Chinese shoes, making the local shoes less competitive.

Consumers attribute their tendency towards Chinese products mainly to their low prices despite complaints about their durability as compared to locally-manufactured traditional shoes.

“I paid just Rs300 for a pair of Chinese boots and if it lasts even for three months it’s worth buying,” said Inayat Shah, who prefers Chinese shoes over traditional footwear because of their low price.

He opined that consumers, who were in grip of high cost of living, opted for Chinese shoes even if they were substandard because their prices were nominal and in access of the low-paid working class.

Apart from specified markets at Karkhano, known for smuggled goods, Chinese shoes are also available in bulk at almost every business place of the city, causing decline in the sale of traditional ‘Peshawari chappal’.

There are a couple of markets with over two hundreds shops, which not only cater to the local demand, but also supply shoes to other parts of the country.

The surge in the demand for Chinese shoes has affected business in these local markets.

Javed Khan, a dealer in Jehangirpura, the main footwear market, said he had been doing business in the area for 20 years, but he had never faced such a difficult time due to the decreasing demand for local footwear.

He said a good looking pair of Chinese shoes was available for up to Rs300, whereas they even could not meet the manufacturing cost of their product in such a meagre amount.

Apart from affecting the business of local-made footwear, the influx of Chinese shoes has also disturbed the overall sale of national and international brands and the manufacturing companies were compelled to revise their prices.

Special discounts massively advertised in the city exemplify the quest of local dealers to attract customers.