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| Up to this moment,
it is certain that every Thai knows the "OTOP"
project. The abbreviation stands for "One
Tambon* One Product" which is a project to
promote hand-made goods and folk handicrafts of
each district. Folk crafts in this campaign get
a brighter future than those that are not. It
is because OTOP was set up to widen markets and
generate incomes for villagers in each community
to improve their life standard. The ultimate aim
is to establish a strong sense of marketing management
among people, so that the sustainable self-reliance
will take root deeply in the social structure. |
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The OTOP logo
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The meaning of
"product" here covers services and activities.
Actually, one tambon may have more than one products.
And sometimes a product is the outcome of the
cooperation among a few tambons. Therefore, almost
all folk products, ranging from chilli paste to
silk and from shampoo to pottery, can be put under
the project.
The OTOP logo is a Pla Taphian Bai Lan
(a mobile woven from palm leaves in the form of
a carp) with a tiny Thai flag on its body. (See
the above picture.) |
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Hand-woven
cloth and hill-tribe costumes
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object completely mirrors Thai local intelligence
as it requires such practical skills to make a
beautiful one. |
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To find out the origin of the
project, let's trace back to the year 2001 when
the rural people were dramatically threatened
with poverty.
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Exquisite pottery
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| The government
of Pol. Lt. Col. Dr. Taksin Shinawatra, then initiated
the OTOP project to tackle with the problem. |
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Products from
hand-woven textiles
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Aiming
to bring out folk intelligence to upgrade local
products, the government provided the local artisans
with advanced product knowledge and marketing
management skills (both domestic and international)
by arranging for specialists to set up intensive
courses for them. Instead of subsidizing, which,
in the long run tends to reduce the communities'
self-reliance, the government supports each group
in other forms. For instance, the setting up of
chain stores and the use of internet system have
been encouraged in order to extend their market
shares and channels of distribution.
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Exotic beauty
of artificial flowers
from rubber leaves
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Lots of governmental
units have played important roles in the OTOP
project development.The following are some of
them. The National Executive Committee of
One Tambon One Product is responsible for
monitoring the product standards, supporting
each community with new knowledge about the
products and promoting them in full scale. Its
duties also include storing statistical data
of premium products popular among consumers.
The Department of Export Promotion has
arranged numerous domestic expos to draw public
attention. And to penetrate into international
markets, it is planning to hold overseas exhibitions
displaying OTOP products in several countries:
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The atmosphere of the Top
Industrial
Villages & Thai Textiles Expo 2003
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Asia Expo' 2004, London, UK, from 7 to 10 February
2004
• MACEF Spring' 2004, Milan,
Italy, February 2004
The Thai Industrial Standards Institute
is also a key office in controlling the standards
of OTOP products.
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criteria to select goods in the project are as
follows. First of all, the community whose handicrafts
are unique will get the priority to be considered.
Second, the products need to have a high standard.
Third, there must be sufficient manpower in the
group to assure prompt production. |
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Regarding
the progress of the project, statistical data
of exporting OTOP products indicate the primary
success of the whole project. According to the
Department of Export Promotion, there was an 8%
increase in the total value of export handicrafts
(gifts and home decoration items) in 2002 when
compared with the year 2001.
Famous OTOP products in international markets
include:
• Textiles and other related products such
as scarfs, ready-made clothes, table cloths, etc.
• Wickerwork from bamboo, water hyacinth,
yan liphao (lipodium ciliare), reeds, flax, etc.
• Pottery from producers in Sukhothai, Songkhla,
Ratchaburi, Chiang Mai, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi
provinces
• Artificial flowers from rubber leaves,
nylon, silk, and flower clay
• Wooden furniture
• Furniture from water hyacinth and rattan
• Flowers, stationery and lampshades from
paper made of the bark of Sa (paper mulberry),
banana leaves and pineapple leaves
• Products from metal such as ornaments and
home decoration items from silver or brass |
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The charm of silverware
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Recently, Deputy Prime Minister, Somkid Jatusripitak
made a forecast that in a couple of years the
international OTOP sales volumes would increase
to 100,000 million baht compared with the present
figure of 20,000 million baht. According to the
OTOP Product Championships 2003 lately conducted
by the Community Development Department, 581 out
of 6,683 items got five stars and 2,474 got four
stars to guarantee their quality. Moreover, some
five-star products were scheduled to show their
exquisiteness at leading department stores during
the APEC CEO Summit 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand,
(October 2003). There is no doubt at all that
this campaign will be even more successful than
ever.
You may wonder how the government controls the
products' standards. Here are some brief principles:
• There is an information database system
to prevent product repetition.
• Researches on consumers' opinion and behaviour
are done by authorized organizations.
• Statistical data are monitored and analyzed
by authorized organizations to evaluate the level
of success.
• Techniques involved in productivity is
developed by each community. |
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The craftswoman is covering
a
vase with dried stems of Water Hyacinth.
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| Thaiways
asked exhibitors in "The Top Industrial Villages
& Thai Textiles Expo 2003", held recently
at Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, about their earnings
when they are under the OTOP project. |
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The exquisite
complete work
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They all answered with one voice that they have
been able to sell more goods and their orders
have increased. What's more, their products have
been promoted to the public, which arouses target
groups to directly contact their communities to
purchase their goods. |
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The
carver is carving the bamboo
stock into the figure of a bearded man face.
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| It
is hoped that the OTOP project will meet with
a long-term success, not just because it generates
more incomes for local people, but also because
it brings out the talents and innermost spirit
of them. |
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The fantastic complete works
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It is the pride of the country;
it will present Thailand's uniqueness to foreign
countries.
*Tambon is an administrative division under
amphoe. The former is translated as "district"
and the latter "county".
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