Click to play videoNew Delhi: A health concern or an economic compulsion? Following India's the ban on import of milk, milk products and chocolates from China, the Commerce ministry has announced the ban on some Chinese toys for a period of six months.
The commerce secretary has told CNN IBN that, " The reason for the ban is a concern for public health. Chinese toys are known to have high content of poisonous substances like lead."
International and Indian studies in the past have shown that Chinese toys contain high amounts of lead.
In fact, a CNN-IBN special investigation one year ago, tested a random sample of toys for lead.
The results revealed that Chinese toys contained higher levels lead than their Indian counterparts.
The study also showed that the highest content of this heavy metal was in products like teethers for newborn and toddlers.
However, a closer look at the categories that have been banned by the Indian government include items like tricycles, pedal cars, recreational models and puzzles.
These are not necessarily toys that lend themselves to being constantly chewed or ingested- the one way by which lead actually leaches out can cause lead poisoning in children. So it looks like the commerce ministry has other concerns. Many say this temporary ban is a means of providing protection to domestic manufacturers, against cheap competition.
After all, over 70 per cent of all toys sold in India come from China.
Perhaps this is the governments way of heeding distress calls of small scale toys manufactures in a tough economic market.
Meanwhile chew this fact- India continues to have no safety standard of all toys in India -Chinese or Indian.
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