What it is & where it’s from

• Sankheda furniture (Gujarat) — traditional teakwood furniture finished with lacquer and hand-painted motifs; protected as a registered Geographical Indication (GI) (Application No. 100 / Class 20).
• Channapatna toys (Karnataka) — turned-wood toys finished with natural lac/vegetable dyes; GI-registered (Application No. 126 / Class 28).
• Etikoppaka toys (Andhra Pradesh) — turned-wood (Wrightia tinctoria) toys coated with natural lac polish; GI-registered (Application No. 248 / Class 28).
• India’s clusters are enabled by local lac resin availability (from the lac insect Kerria lacca) with major production in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP, West Bengal, Odisha & Maharashtra.

Quality, materials & strengths

• Vegetable/natural dyes & lac finishing are key differentiators for Channapatna/Etikoppaka; the WIPO profile for Channapatna documents natural dye revival and safe colorants.
  
• Sankheda is known for bright maroon-gold palettes and tinfoil patterning under transparent lacquer; officially recognized in India’s GI system and documented by state/central culture portals.
  
• Compliance benchmarks for export toys:
  
  • EU: Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC + EN-71 series (chemical migration, mechanical, flammability).
    
  • US: ASTM F963-23 is the mandatory federal toy standard (CPSC).
    
  • India (domestic sale): Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 → BIS certification & ISI mark (effective 1 Jan 2021). (Note: exports to other countries follow the destination market’s rules.)
    

Exports (closest official proxies)

Because “lacquerware” spans several HS headings, here are the relevant buckets and India’s 2023 export values:

• Wooden ornaments & smallware (HS 4420) — US$104M. Often used for decorative lacquered items. (OEC, 2023).
• Toys, dolls & games (HS 9503) — India’s exports by product include “Toys, nes” ≈ US$253M (covers wood toys like Channapatna/Etikoppaka). (OEC, 2023).
• Furniture (HS 9403) — US$1.13B total; a slice of this includes lacquered Sankheda furniture shipped as wooden furniture. (UN Comtrade via TrendEconomy, 2023).

Why India stands out

• Indigenous lac value chain (production + research backbone at ICAR-IINRG) supports sustainable, non-toxic coatings prized in handmade crafts.
• Cluster-based GI protections (Sankheda/Channapatna/Etikoppaka) preserve techniques, visual identity and traceability for export storytelling.
  

Palm Leaf Products

This market has two very different streams: (A) areca/palm-leaf tableware and (B) palm-leaf engraving (Talapatra/Talapattachitra) craft. Rules and markets differ sharply.

Areca/palm-leaf tableware (plates, bowls, trays)

What it is & where it’s from (India-specificity)

• Made from the sheaths/leaves of arecanut or other palms, with strong manufacturing bases in Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu (India’s arecanut belt). Official agri statistics and DASD (Govt. of India) identify these states as the core arecanut region.
  

Quality/standards & 2025 regulatory update

• India published BIS standard IS 18267:2023 (Food Serving Utensils Made from Agri By-Products) covering raw materials (incl. leaves & sheaths), processing (hot/cold press, moulding, stitching) and prohibiting added chemicals/resins/adhesives. (Press release 22 June 2023; the text is public.)
  
• United States (critical update, 8 May 2025): the US FDA issued an alert stating areca (Areca catechu) leaf dinnerware is not GRAS for food contact; such products are not authorized on the US market. This has caused significant disruption for Indian exporters who had relied on the US.
  
• EU & other markets: products must meet general food-contact rules (e.g., EU Reg. 1935/2004 on FCMs; member-state tests like LFGB in Germany may apply in practice).
  

Exports (closest official proxy)

• Palm-/areca-leaf tableware is typically declared under HS 4602 (basketry & articles of plaiting materials). India exported about US$166M of HS 4602 goods in 2023. (OEC, 2023).
  Note: HS 4602 also contains rattan/bamboo etc., so this is a ceiling for palm-leaf tableware, not a craft-only figure.
  

Strengths unique to India

• Raw-material proximity (arecanut heartland) + large MSME base → competitive pricing and lower embodied transport.
• National standard (IS 18267) provides a quality baseline manufacturers can cite in non-US markets post-FDA ruling.
  

Palm-leaf engraving / Talapatra (Odisha)

What it is & where it’s from (India-specificity)

• A thousand-year-plus tradition of palm-leaf engraving/illustration centered on Raghurajpur (Puri, Odisha); recognized by Odisha/India tourism & cultural bodies.
• Odisha has initiated GI protection for “Talapatra Pothi Chitra of Puri” (palm-leaf etching); the application has been filed and is in the Registry workflow.
  

Quality & strengths

• Intricate etched line-work with infill using natural pigments; durable palm-leaf folios bound as manuscripts or framed art — a distinctive Odisha aesthetic strongly tied to Jagannath traditions.
  

Exports (closest official proxy)

• These are sold as original artworks; the nearest HS line is HS 970110 (Paintings, drawings, pastels, hand-executed). India exported ~US$65.3M of HS 970110 in 2023 (top buyers: USA, UK, Japan). (WITS/UN Comtrade, 2023).
  

Quick compliance & market notes

• For lacquered toys going to the EU/US: plan for EN-71 (parts 1,2,3 at minimum) and ASTM F963-23 test reports; maintain CoCs/traceability.
  
• For areca/palm-leaf tableware:
  
  • Do not ship to the US unless/until a lawful FDA pathway (e.g., FCN) exists for your exact material/process; FDA’s May 8 2025 alert says current areca-leaf dinnerware is not permitted
  • For EU/UK/other markets, align with Reg. 1935/2004 principles and any buyer-specified migration tests; cite IS 18267:2023 in specs and QC.
    

HS-code map

• Channapatna/Etikoppaka toys → typically HS 9503 (toys).
• Sankheda furniture → HS 9403 (wooden furniture)
• Decorative lacquered wood articles → HS 4420.
• Areca/palm-leaf tableware → HS 4602 (articles of plaiting materials).
• Palm-leaf engravings (art) → HS 970110 (original paintings/drawings)