New Delhi, July 4 (IANS). Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday called upon the Indian toy industry to set a target of increasing toy exports by 10 times in the next four years. He assured the industry that the government will not withdraw the Compulsory Quality Control Order (QCO) imposed on toys and will also provide complete protection to the domestic industry from cheap foreign imports (dumping).
Addressing the 17th Toy Biz International B2B Expo 2026, Piyush Goyal said that the world’s toy market is worth about $ 120 billion, but India’s share in it is only between 0.2 to 0.3 percent. He said that this is a big opportunity for India and the country should gain a greater share in the global market.
The Union Minister further said that India’s toy exports have registered a remarkable growth of 239 per cent in the last four years, but the industry should not be satisfied with this, but should move ahead with the aim of increasing exports by 10 times the current level in the next four years.
He said that Indian toy manufacturers should no longer be limited to the domestic market only, but should create a strong identity at the global level.
Piyush Goyal appealed to the industry to take maximum advantage of the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed by India in recent years. He said that in the last three and a half years, India has signed 9 free trade agreements, which has made it easier for Indian companies to access the markets of developed countries.
He said the industry should send delegations to the 38 countries covered by these agreements and develop partnerships with local industries, supermarket chains and e-commerce companies so that Indian toys can reach markets across the world.
Goyal said the Indian toy industry should adopt state-of-the-art machinery and give top priority to the quality of products. He also suggested setting up a Center of Excellence on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, where facilities like product testing, design development and innovation would be available.
He said that only high quality products will make Indian toys competitive in the global market.
Giving a clear message on the concerns of the industry regarding Quality Control Order (QCO), Piyush Goyal said that the government will not end this system.
“As long as I am there, no one will remove the QCO. The QCO will remain in force and the government will protect Indian industry from unfair dumping from any country,” he said.
He also clarified that the recently implemented Transition Facilitation (Quality Control) Order, 2026 has been brought only with the aim of facilitating the industry to increase production and investment for a limited period. Its purpose is not to relax the quality standards in any way.
Responding to the demand by some industry organizations to remove QCO, the Union Minister said that the reason for the success of foreign companies is only their quality and not any specific product advantage. Therefore, Indian industry should also work at the highest standards of quality.
He said that under the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 in India, it has been made mandatory for all toys manufactured and imported in the country to comply with the safety standards of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and ISI mark. Also, from time to time these safety standards have also been made more stringent.
Piyush Goyal said that the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand is expected to be implemented this year. Apart from this, negotiations on trade agreements are also going on at a fast pace with Canada, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Mexico and Brazil.
He said that with the implementation of these agreements, the Indian toy industry will get new international markets and will help in increasing the country’s exports rapidly.
–IANS
DBP
