'Melody to the ears': India's toffee exports rise 166% in 12 years to Rs 132 crore in FY26, says Piyush Goyal

Toffee became the talk of the town when Prime minister Narendra Modi gifted Melody toffees to Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during his Italy. The visit has brought fresh attention to India's toffees sector with Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday highlighting that the country's toffee exports have climbed 166 per cent over the past 12 years, PTI reported.India's toffee exports have risen 166 per cent over the last 12 years, reaching Rs 132 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 49.68 crore in 2013-14, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday, PTI reported.The data emerged amid renewed social media attention around Melody toffees after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for gifting her the popular candy during his Italy visit."India's TOFFEE TALE would surely be melody to the ears! Exports have grown nearly 166% since 2013-14," Goyal said in a social media post.The development came after Meloni shared a video on social media in which she thanked PM Modi for the gift."Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee -- Melody," Meloni said in the video.PM Modi is visiting Italy at the invitation of Meloni as the two countries seek to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas including trade, defence, clean energy and technology.The exchange also revived the widely used "Melodi" hashtag, a blend of Modi and Meloni's names that first gained attention during COP28 in Dubai in 2023.The phrase later became a viral social media trend following the warm public interactions between the two leaders at several global events.