NONTHABURI, Dec 15— The OTOP City 2012 fair began today in order to promote Thai local products and boost sales.
Presiding over an opening ceremony at IMPACT Challenger Hall exhibition centre in Nonthaburi, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the event was aimed at promoting Thai local goods from all over the country, supporting OTOP entrepreneurs as well as celebrating the 10th anniversary of the OTOP scheme.
The One Tambon One Product (OTOP) project, initiated by the government of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, was designed to provide direct means of income in Thailand and export opportunities abroad for tambons, the local government levels below provincial and district level.
Thailand has adopted One-Village-One-Product (OVOP) movement of Japan’s Oita Prefecture and implemented the OTOP project in an attempt to help generate income for local low-income earners.
So far, the overall sales value of the OTOP merchandise reached around Bt70 billion annually which included exports valued at Bt10 billion. Currently, there are approximately 30,000 OTOP entrepreneurs.
The government also planned to support entrepreneurs in improving their products in terms of quality, quantity and design.
Apart from a shopping zone, there is also an international seminar ‘OVOP/OTOP International Seminar 2012.’
The OTOP City 2012 is being held at IMPACT’s Challenger 1-3 and Hall 1-6 in Nonthaburi, a suburb of Bangkok, through Dec 23.
