Toy imports down by 70%, exports up 61% over last 3 years: Centre

The import of toys is down by 70% while the exports have surged 61% in the last three years as ‘Make in India’ has yielded positive results for the sector, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Tuesday (July 6).

For HS Codes 9503, 9504, and 9505, the import of toys to India has reduced from $371 million in FY 2018-19 to $110 million in FY 2021-22 thus showing a decrease of 70.35%, the ministry said in a statement.

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For HS Code 9503, toy imports have decreased even faster, from $304 million in FY 2018-19 to $36 million in FY 2021-22 for HS Code 9503. Additionally, the exports have jumped by 61.38% over the same period, it added.

For HS Codes 9503, 9504, and 9505, the export of toys has increased from $202 million in FY 2018-19 to $326 million in FY 2021-22, up by 61.39%. For HS Code 9503, exports of toys have increased from $109 million in FY 2018-19 to $177 million in FY 2021-22.

Speaking to the media during the 13th edition of Toy Biz B2B (Business to Business) International Exhibition which concluded at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on Tuesday, Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), recalled the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2020, on “Rebranding the Indian Toy Story”.

The PM emphasised on the availability of the right kind of toys for children, using toys as a learning resource, designing of toys based on Indian value system, Indian history, and culture to strengthen domestic designing and position India as a global manufacturing hub for toys, Agrawal said.

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Govt ‘interventions’

He said the industry had benefitted from a number of interventions by the government and the results show the success of the ‘Make in India’ programme. He added that the imports were mainly restricted to some components of the toys.

Among the ‘interventions’ by the Union government for the toy sector, Agrawal said toys were brought under compulsory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification with effect from January 1, 2021.

As per the Quality Control Order (QCO), every toy shall conform to the requirements of relevant Indian standard and bear the standard mark under a licence from BIS. This QCO is applicable to both domestic manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their toys to India.

QCO on toys was amended in December 2020 to exempt goods and articles manufactured and sold by artisans registered with Development Commissioner (M/o Textile) and also by registered proprietors and authorised users of a product registered as Geographical Indication by the Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM).

BIS made special provisions in December 2020 so as to grant licenses to micro-scale units manufacturing toys without the testing facility for one year and not to insist on establishing an in-house facility.

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BIS has granted 843 licenses to domestic manufacturers for safety of toys, out of these, 645 licenses have been granted for non-electric toys and 198 licenses granted for electric toys. In addition to this, six licenses have been granted to international toy manufacturers.

‘Toyconomy’

In June 2021, PM Modi, while interacting with participants of Toycathon-2021, emphasised the economic aspects of toys and gaming, which he called ‘Toyconomy’. He called on people to be “vocal for local toys”.

Modi said that the global toy market is about $ 100 billion and India has only 1.5% of this market. India imports almost 80% of its toys. This means that crores of rupees are being drained out of the country. This needs to change, he added.

The Toycathon was a special kind of hackathon where students and teachers from schools and colleges, design experts, toy experts and startups got together to crowdsource ideas for developing toys and games that are based on Indian culture and ethos, local folklore and heroes, and Indian value systems.