The president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Footwear and Components (CAVECAL), Tony Di Benedetto, stated recently to FedeCameras Radio that the Venezuelan footwear industry is responsible for 25% of domestic demand. However, according to him, "we can cover up to 60% or 70% of national demand, but owing to production and productivity issues in our companies, we have not yet reached the required levels". He furthered that 25% of national demand represents between 15 and 18 million pairs of shoes, considering that the total national demand is around 60 million pairs of shoes per year.

The President of CAVECAL noted that production costs are "above optimal levels" due to the lack of raw materials, as well as the shortage of labour. However, he emphasized the difficulties that the companies face to secure funding for business through bank loans: "we would really like funding to open up a little, so that we could count with that to help us improve operational levels".

Despite the difficulties above, and on a brighter note, Mr. Benedetto asserts that despite not reaching the expected levels above, "we will finish much better than last year".