Melody to ears? India's toffee exports are on a roll

India's exports of toffees and similar confectionery products grew over 10% in volume and 166% in rupee terms since FY14, reaching as many as 74 countries during the period.

India's toffee tale would surely be "melody to the ears," commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal wrote on social media platform X, citing the increase in exports. It came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted the iconic Parle Melody toffee to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Rome, a light-hearted gesture that went viral, triggering stock-outs in India, and highlighting the growing international appeal of Indian sweets.

Data from the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority showed that exports under HSN (17049030), which covers toffees, climbed from ₹49.7 crore in FY14 to ₹132 crore in FY26. In dollar terms, exports increased from $8.17 million to $13.41 million during the same period, registering 64% growth.

Export volumes also rose from 6,652 mt to 7,357 mt, marking a 10.6% increase over the 12-year period. The data indicates a significant improvement in value realization per metric tonne, which rose by around 2.4 times, reflecting a shift from bulk low-value shipments to higher-value and diversified export markets.

Toffee, a hard caramelized sugar confection made with butter, and sometimes molasses or treacle, was born in England in the early 19th century. The word entered the dictionary around 1825 as a dialectal variant of "taffy."

The toffee's origins are often traced to Wales or the Everton area in England, where affordable sugar and butter enabled its development from earlier medicinal sugar remedies. Iconic varieties like Everton Toffee gained fame in the Victorian era. By the late 19th and 20th centuries, toffee spread globally, inspiring English toffee in America (often chocolate-coated), alongside regional adaptations in Europe and beyond.

The 20 May joint declaration by India and Italy said that both leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing dynamism of bilateral economic and industrial cooperation, with three high-level business fora held since last year.

“Building on the opportunities arising from India’s rapid and consistent economic growth and the successful conclusion of the negotiations for the EU–India Free Trade Agreement, they reaffirmed the shared objective of expanding bilateral trade in both directions, with an aim to reach to € 20 billion by 2029,” said the joint declaration.

"They welcomed the increase of bilateral investments in key sectors and encouraged the respective industries to forge industrial and technology partnerships in order to build resilient supply chains. They welcomed the prospect of greater investments, particularly in textiles, clean technologies, semiconductors, automotive, energy, tourism, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, digital technologies, critical raw materials, steel, ports and infrastructure. They encouraged industries to utilize the policy incentives and schemes in place in both countries which seek to enhance business linkages and production facilities," said the joint declaration.