Chinese toys have taken over the Indian toy market due to globalization and promotion of international trade leading to huge losses to Indian toy manufacturers. Do you think the mantra of “Boycott and Swadeshi” would be of any help today? Why or why not?

The Chinese toys have made a global presence including Indian markets too. The reason for the huge popularity of Chinese toys here in India is the affordable prices and the wide variety available in the market. Clearly, they have targeted the lower and middle-income groups here. This has caused a big loss to the domestic toy manufactures in India. However “Boycott and Swadeshi” cannot be the solution to the problem. This is due to:

• Banning Chinese toys here in India will be an unhealthy business practice and can impact the economic as well as political relation between the two nations in a negative sense.

• Also, Indian toys are not as much pocket-friendly as the Chinese one are, and it may be out of reach of average Indian.

• Presence of Chinese products can increase the competition between the manufactures and will bring new developments in the industry

• Rather than Boycott Chinese toys, the Indian government can promote the domestic industry by providing tax rebates, easy credit policies so that more and more players enter the industry.

All these steps will collectively shift the stake from Chinese manufacturers to Indians manufacturers. Only “Boycott and Swadeshi” will not serve the purpose, a comprehensive policy is needed.