Local toy manufacturers are a worried lot as the government has imposed strict quality norms on imported toys and mandated certification, reports Economic Times.

The main worry for the local industry is how they will be able to cope with the rise in demand and the quality norms during the festive season.

A comprehensive notification issued earlier this month prescribes norms for physical and mechanical properties, chemical content, flammability, and testing for indoor and outdoor toys for both electrically and mechanically operated ones.

The compliance has to be certified by an independent laboratory approved by accredited authorities under the Department of Science and Technology.

The local toy industry is particularly concerned about the consignments which have already been booked before the new norms came into force.

"This is the peak time for the toy industry and will continue till January," President of All India Toy Manufacturers Association Manish Kukreja told ET. "If some importer has ordered in August and his consignment is to land in September, then he will face a lot of problems to get clearance. We are not sure which are the laboratories from where we will get the conformance certificate."

The norms

The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notification issued on September 1 states specific quality norms of the toys, physical and mechanical properties, flammability, testing for indoor and outdoor toys, among other specifications. The qualities norms are now stricter than before.

The notification says that imported toys will be permitted freely only if the manufacturer abides by norms of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The norms will affect 70 percent of the Chinese imports available in the Indian market.

On the bright side

While there are worries about how Indian firms will cope with the norms on such short notice, a part of the industry is welcoming the norms with open arms.

Owing to the intense competition, at least 40 percent of the more than 2,000 registered firms shut shop in the last five years. Many players used to find it difficult to compete with the cheaper Chinese products.

With the government's latest move, some feel the domestic toy manufacturers will be encouraged to adhere to the norms and eventually, India will do away with the Chinese imports.