In this article, we shall discuss what’s behind the ‘Rebranding of the Indian Toy Story’.

Presently, the Indian toy industry is only 0.5% of the global industry size indicating a large potential growth opportunity.
The domestic toy demand forecasted to grow at 10-15% against the global average of 5%.
The report ‘State of play: India’s toy story- Unboxing fun and beyond’ said India could also target a 2% share of global exports by 2025.
There is high growth potential for India in exports of plastic toys and board games in the US, EU, and the Middle East among other markets.

According to a report by the National Productivity Council, India’s toy industry employs 3 million workers, of which 70 percent are women.

Employment in the toy manufacturing sector offers its female-majority workforce avenues for socio-economic empowerment, financial security, and skill development.
It also offers opportunities for women to act as agents of change by preserving local toy forms, intrinsic to their regions.
Toy manufacturing also creates possibilities for men and women artisans to work together, thereby promoting equal task division and partnerships.
For instance, in Tamil Nadu, the manufacturing processes of ‘Vilachary‘ clay toys are divided between men and women.

Unorganized and fragmented: It continues to be significantly fragmented, with 90 percent of the market being unorganized.
Small scale: 75 percent of domestic manufacturing originates in micro-industries, while 22 percent comes from MSMEs. Less than 3 percent of the domestic toy manufacturing processes come from large units.
Less competitive: The retail value of the Indian toy market is INR 16, 000 crores of which close to three-fourths are Chinese imports.
Chinese incursion: Consumers are habituated for long to cheap Chinese toys.

Toycathon: In January 2021, it launched ‘Toycathon’, a hackathon to develop toys and games based on Indian culture and ethos.
Atmanirbhar Bharat: To promote the indigenous toy manufacturing industry, this multi-Ministerial effort sought to create an ‘Aatmanirbhar’ eco-system for local manufacturers by exploring their untapped potential.
Formal recognition in years: Toy manufacturing clusters across the country have come to be formally recognized and supported by the govt.
Cluster-based production: State govt. are in the process of allocating spaces for toy parks. For instance, Koppal District in Karnataka has recently been recognized as the country’s first toy manufacturing cluster.
Tax incentives: Basic Custom Duty (BCD) on Toys-HS Code-9503 has been increased from 20% to 60% in February 2020.
GI tags: The Toys bearing GI tags such as Chennapatna, Varanasi, etc. are also being exported.

Toy industry has its own small-scale industry, artisans comprising rural population, dalits, poor people and tribal population.
In order to take the benefits to these segments, we need to be vocal for local toys.
There is a need for new ideas to be incubated, new start-ups promoted, taking new technology to traditional toy makers and creating new market demand.
The 75th anniversary of India’s Independence is a huge opportunity for the innovators and creators of the toy industry.
Many incidents, stories of our freedom fighters and their valour and leadership can be created into gaming concepts.
There is a need to create interesting and interactive games that ‘engage, entertain and educate’.

As India looks to build its ‘toyoconomy — women workers will continue to play a significant role in fulfilling domestic demand, reducing imports and raising India’s share of toy manufacturing in the global marketplace.

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