India has banned imports of toys that do not meet international safety standards and norms till January 2010.
In January this year, India had prohibited import of toys from China on health grounds. The restriction was, however, eased on Chinese toys which met international safety norms.
The import restrictions assume significance as Beijing had questioned India for not implementing safety standard norms on toys being imported from other countries.
"Import of toys... Is prohibited up to January 23, 2010 and until further orders," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.
"However, toys conforming to international health safety standards can be imported," the notification said.
However, DGFT said imports of toys accompanied by a certificate from laboratories accredited to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) would be allowed.
"A certificate of conformance from the manufacturer that representative sample of the toys being imported have been tested by an independent laboratory (like ILAC)...," it said.
The toy market in India is estimated at Rs 2,500 crore. The volume-driven, price-competitive Chinese toys are estimated to control 70 per cent of the global toy market.
