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Spanning thousands of years, toy manufacturing in India is as old as civilization itself. Some of the earliest evidence of terracotta toys being found in Harappa (c. 2500 BCE)- a key site of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

It is remarkable to note that the history of toy manufacturing in India is inextricably linked to the larger story of India’s past.

Toy Industry in India

• 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 Middle East among other markets.

Toy Industries & Women Empowerment

• 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.

Toy Industries and Women

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

Challenges

• Unorganized and fragmented: It continues to be significantly fragmented, with 90 per cent of the market being unorganised.
• Small scale: 75 per cent of domestic manufacturing originates in micro-industries, while 22 per cent comes from MSMEs. Less than 3 per cent 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.

Govt Initiatives

• 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 manufactures by exploring their untapped potential.
• Formal recognition in years: Toy manufacturing clusters across the country have come to be formally recognised and supported by the govt.
• Cluster based production: State govts. are in the process of allocating spaces for toy parks. For instance, Koppal District in Karnataka has recently been recognised as the country’s first toy manufacturing cluster.

Conclusion

• 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.