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Roundup: Thai OTOP indigenous goods under revival

Xinhua, October 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Thailand is planning to revive the so-called One-Tambon (county), One-Product industry nationwide.

The authorities will launch a major campaign under which the so-called OTOPs might be redesigned or rebranded and will be promoted, said Department of Community Development Director General Apichart Todilokvej on Thursday.

While local villagers manufacture their OTOPs, such as food and handicraft, for sales, the authorities will help with online marketing, innovation, redesigning and rebranding of the indigenous goods, Apichart said.

"Local manufacturers might improve the qualities of their products while the DCD and other government agencies will help enhance the online marketing and take approaches to increasing the sales of the OTOPs in both value and volume.

"It's time the OTOP industry was refreshed to live up to quality standards and meet demands of the modern-day markets," commented the department chief.

The OTOP manufacturers will be suggested to create "a story" about their indigenous goods to make them more interesting or valuable to prospective customers, he said.

For instance, the history of the making of a certain product by a certain group of villagers may be told in literature on a package of the product, according to the department chief.

Besides roadside stalls and online marketing, the sales of the OTOPs will be promoted by provincial governors and heads of local administrative organizations in their respective provinces nationwide.

More than 83,000 OTOPs are currently being manufactured and available for sales while the DCD has some 200 million U.S. dollars in yet-untapped funding for groups of women villagers who manufacture them.

The OTOP industry, initiated to Thai villagers including those in rural areas by former leader Thaksin Shinawatra a decade ago, mostly manifests "stars of quality" on the packages, with five stars purportedly indicating top quality.

The DCD acts as a major government agency in charge of promoting the OTOP industry throughout the country. Endit