The little industry that Santa Claus forgot
Toy makers in trouble
THE above headline aptly describe the state of the local toy industry at this Christmas season.
A visit to many of the stores in Georgetown, including those operated by the State, reveals what appears to be a change in emphasis this year by the city’s businessmen in their approaches to this 1986 festive season.
There is a proliferation of imported toys in nearly all the stores and shops, and at first glance it’s a de-emphasising of the locally-made products such as rollers, rocking horses, games, and airplanes, all made from Guyana’s woods.
In at least two State-owned entities, Guyana Stores and the Guyana National Trading Corporation’s branch on Camp Street, locally-made toys are visible on the shelves along with soft toys also made in Guyana, but the local product has to compete side by side with the imported articles which are better packaged, but carry heavy price tags.
IMPORTED A senior official at Guyana Stores told ‘Stabroek News’ that some of the imported toys were brought in from East Germany last year with the remainder being purchased in small quantities from traders. These include plastic dolls, trains, guns, jeeps and musical instruments.
The largest supplies of imported toys on display are in stores on Regent Street and Water Street and at the Sijan Plaza on Camp Street.
In these stores, as well as on several city pavements, the range of the imported articles are wide and varied and are also very expensive when the average salary of a Guyanese worker is taken into consideration.
In the privately-owned stores, batteryoperated toys, such as guns, trains, fire engines, jeeps and cars range in prices from one hundred and fifty dollars to eight hundred dollars depending on the size and the technology involved.
Imported dolls are also available in large quantities fetching high prices, with one shop owner in clarifying the situation saying that since import licences were not being released, he and others had to turn to the traders.
At Sijan, all the toys are imported, many with United States markings and with price tags of seven to fifty US dollars depending on the quality of the toy and its size.
ANSWERS A query from ‘Stabroek News’ as to what has gone wrong with the local toy industry which had been receiving much attention just two years ago, brought forth some very revealing answers.
Guyana Stores Executive Chairman Paul Chan-A-Sue said his corporation recently imported springs which were needed for certain types of wooden toys being manufactured on a small-scale, but because the local wood was too heavy the imported springs were found to be unsuitable since they could not move the toys, after they had been installed.
“Although we continue to have the commitment to local toys and the cottage industry,” Chan-A-Sue added, “our biggest concern and worry is the quality of the product.”
To this end, the management at Guyana Stores has arranged for an expert from the Federation for Industrial Training in Canada to spend three weeks in Guyana early in the new year.
The expert will hold practical sessions for the corporation’s suppliers of all types of wood products and he will also visit the work sites giving advice where necessary.
It was a different tale on the future of the local toy industry as told to this newspaper by the Managing Director of NCE Group of Companies, one of the big manufacturers, Brian Gittens.
He admitted that his company has not been able to manufacture a single toy for this Christmas, in spite of the personal intervention of President Desmond Hoyte, who had authorised the release of $15000 (US)for the purchase of imported components from the United States.
One of the components to be purchased were marbles for checker boards. Mr. Gittens explained that the components have been stored in Jamaica since May but because of trans-shipment difficulties and an apparent mix-up with the brokers in Jamaica, components are yet to arrive, although the necessary payments have been made. The quality of certain local inputs in many cases, was not up to standard, Gittens said.
One bright spot in all this was the optimism shared by both the top Guyana Stores official and Mr. Gittens that there is a very good chance of Guyanese craftsmen making their mark in the utilisation of local wood and wood products not only for toys but for ornaments and furniture, but this must be done on a commercial scale and needs substantial investment and encouragement.
The soft toy industry has been given good marks by both businessmen who referred to the strong support given it by Guymida.