The public have been urged to visit the OTOP City 2012 fair to learn more
about OTOP products at the Challenger Hall, IMPACT Trade and Exhibition Center,
Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi province, from 15 to 23 December 2012.
The call was made by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in the program
“Yingluck Government Meets the People,” broadcast on Radio Thailand and NBT
Television. Today, the overall sales value of OTOP products is 76 billion baht
a year, which also includes exports worth 10 billion baht. The Prime Minster
would like to see the overall sales value increase to 100 billion baht by 2015.
She said that when the high-speed train service is open to the public in the
future, OTOP products would be offered on the train, as well.
The OTOP policy was introduced in 2001, when rural people in every tambon,
or subdistrict, were encouraged to unite and create a product that represents
the wisdom and culture of the community, in order to generate extra income for
local people during their free time. This program was able to earn about one
billion baht in the first year. The earnings rose to 24 billion baht in 2002
and 33 billion baht in 2003.
Thailand modeled the OTOP program on the experience of Oita Prefecture in
the Kyushu area of Japan. In order to stimulate the manufacture of local
products using home-grown expertise and skills, the Government provides
villagers with technical assistance and advice to enable them to produce their
goods efficiently and at high standards. As a key incentive, the Government
assists in the marketing of these goods, in cooperation with the private
business sector.
There are currently about 30,000 OTOP producers across the country. The
Government has a policy to develop OTOP producers into small and medium-sized
enterprise (SME) operators, under the OTOP Plus project. According to the
provisions of the project, the Ministry of Industry will help develop the
potential of OTOP entrepreneurs and upgrade the quality of their products,
especially in terms of investment in technology and packaging. In this way,
OTOP small enterprises will be developed into SMEs.
The Government wants to see the setting up of OTOP exhibition and
distribution centers to serve as marketing channels for OTOP goods and as
centers for OTOP management and training. Thailand’s first OTOP exhibition and
distribution center is being constructed in Chiang Mai province. Similar
centers will also be established in other major cities, such as Bangkok and
Phuket.
Online marketing for OTOP products has been launched to publicize the
products both locally and internationally. Buyers may order the products
online, which will be sent to them by post.
(thailand.prd.go.th)