Indian toy exports surge 89 pc in 6 years; quality improves significantly: Minister Jitin Prasada

India has seen a significant improvement in toy quality and an 89 per cent jump in exports since 2018-19 following a series of government initiatives to boost the domestic toy industry, the government said on Tuesday.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) survey in 2025 found 95 per cent of toy samples conforming to prescribed safety standards, up from 33 per cent in 2019, MoS Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in Lok Sabha.

India has become a net exporter of toys with shipments to markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany. Imports of toys into India fell by 37.5 per cent since 2018-19, with imports at $232.3 million and exports at $384.7 million in FY2025–26.

The minister outlined key initiatives by the government to boost the toy industry such as a National Action Plan for Toys with 21 action points coordinated by 14 ministries, aimed at promoting indigenous design, and development of toys based on Indian values, culture, and history.

It encouraged the use of toys as learning resources; organised hackathons, toy fairs, and grand challenges for toy design and manufacturing; strengthened quality monitoring and restricting the import of substandard and unsafe toys; promoted indigenous toy clusters; and boosted domestic manufacturing.

Further Basic Custom Duty (BCD) on Toys (HS Code-9503) was increased from 20 per cent to 60 per cent in February 2020, and subsequently increased to 70 per cent in 2023.

The Ministry of MSMEs has approved 18 toy clusters under the Scheme of Funds for the Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), and the Ministry of Textiles is providing designing and tooling support to 40 toy clusters.

More than 700 startups have been recognised by DPIIT under Startup India initiative.

BIS has granted more than 1800 licenses to domestic manufacturers of toys and more than 50 licenses to foreign manufacturers for use of BIS Standard Mark on toys conforming to the Indian Standards for safety of toys.

The National Education Policy 2020 prescribed toys, especially based on indigenous toys and games to be used at different stages to help develop many competencies in young children.

The 17th Toy Biz International B2B Exhibition saw participation of 400 Indian toy brands, 100 international buyers from 40 countries, and around 30,000 business visitors. The exhibition provided a platform for connecting manufacturers with wholesalers, retailers, distributors, institutional buyers and e-commerce platforms.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India