The success achieved by the domestic computer and video games industry can be repeated with the toy manufacturing sector provided officials give the necessary support for it to make a breakthrough, said secretary of the council overseeing toy manufacturing and distribution, Mohammad-Hossein Farjoo.
It may be recalled in mid-November, Hassan Karimi-Quddusi, deputy of Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation had said “Iran holds the top place in video games development in the Middle East. With more than 38 million internet users and 20 million gamers, the country has the largest growing video game market in the region. In recent years, several domestic companies have produced high-tech games which have succeeded in the local market and participated in foreign festivals.”
A major issue which needs to be tackled within the field of the toy sector is the unrestrained import of toys, especially from China. “Since March 2014, every month approximately $2.9 million worth of toys are imported, posing a potential threat to the domestic industry,” MNA quoted Farjoo as saying.
He further said if managed and organized properly, the toy industry and its rich potentials could generate several job opportunities. Given the enthusiasm and skills of those active in the field “it can be said that the domestic toy industry, in addition to meeting national needs, can also export its products.”
In order to develop and enhance the industry, “cultural guidelines need to be formulated for production and distribution of toys. The secretariat of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution (SCCR) has taken productive measures and passed an enactment to establish the National Toys Foundation,” the official pointed out.
Fortunately, cultural advancements in the past decade have changed people’s viewpoint towards toys. Parents and the general public now realize the importance of toys and their effect on children’s character development and creativity.
Problems
The main problem within the toy industry is that advanced technologies for toy manufacturing are unavailable and the available knowledge, techniques, devices, equipment, and facilities are faulty and insufficient, Farjoo said.
It is six years since a permit was issued by the Council of Developing Higher Education which introduced courses in toy design; however none of the state universities have shown an interest in introducing the subject as a major; several eager enthusiasts have tried to enter the field but they have not received the needed support, he added.
