Mattel step may improve toy quality in India

The recall of thousands of Chinese-made toys by the US toy maker Mattel over the past five weeks could have a positive impact on the Indian market, which is crowded with manufacturers in the unorganised sector.

Very little is known about the manufacturing process, or even the manufacturer, as such details are not available on purchase. Now, leading toy companies believe that the awareness of quality would prompt buyers to pick up better quality branded toys.

Arvind Kumar Gupta, company secretary of toy exporter Hanung Toys, says, "On the domestic front, we do expect people to go for branded toys." The toy market in India is estimated to be in the region of Rs 1,000 crore and about 75 per cent of this is manufactured by units in the unorganised sector.

"It's not even the fault of customers, as many don't know that a standard like ISI 9873, meant only for toys, exists," points out Mattel India Managing Director Sanjay Luthra.

ISI 9873 is comparable to some of the best toy safety rules like EN-71 in Europe or ASTM norms in the US. However, adopting ISI 9873 is only voluntary and has not been made mandatory.

Most toy manufacturers from the unorganised sector do not follow this norm and a large section of the unbranded toy segment are not marked, say industry experts. "We hope parents realise the need to buy high quality toys. Our recall was also done keeping this in mind," Luthra said.

According to industry statistics, the toy sector is estimated to be growing at 8 per cent, with the organised sector growing at 18 per cent, against a negative growth in the unorganised sector.

Yesterday, Mattel announced a third recall of about 8.4 lakh Fisher Price and Barbie toys over the excessive levels of lead used in paints, considered dangerous for children.

These do not include Barbie dolls, but some accessories. This takes the number of Mattel toys recalled, so far, globally to nearly 21 million.

However, the recall does not mean an increase in orders for Indian toy manufacturers. China's arch rival in economic growth, India, is unlikely to gain any unfair advantage because of the recent problems that have affected the Chinese manufacturing firms, say management consultants.