Footwear exports turnover of the southern province of Dong Nai is expected to exceed 2.1 billion USD in 2014, according to the head of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, Le Van Danh.

The earnings in September alone rose by nearly 1 million USD against last month to over 1.5 billion USD, up 14.5 percent compared to the year before.

Major footwear manufacturers in the province have so far received orders up to the end of the year and early 2015 from such big markets as the US, the Republic of Korea, the UK, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and China.

Danh attributed the industry’s rapid growth since the first quarter of this year to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) preferential treatment on customs duties granted by the EU, and economic recovery in the EU and the US.

GSP is a scheme whereby a wide range of industrial and agricultural products originating in certain developing countries are given preferential access to the markets of the European Union. Preferential treatment is given in the form of reduced or zero rates of customs duties.

Besides, there was a shift in orders by big names like Nike, Adidas, and Puma from China, he noted.

Dong Nai has enjoyed an annual average export growth of 17.2 percent over the last few years.

Businesses have been provided with financial assistance for production and import-export activities, and were offered tax incentives.

In addition, local authorities have organised numerous activities to promote trade and investment with the aim of helping enterprises find new markets and expand traditional ones.

The locality’s products are now available in 140 countries and territories worldwide.

The province ranks amongst Vietnam’s top five localities in terms of export, with its turnover so far this year estimated at over 8.1 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 14.5 percent.

Its export value for all of 2014 is likely to reach 12 billion USD, representing a 9.8 percent rise compared to last year’s figure.-VNA