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OTOP system in Thailand, has allowed certain villages or areas to develop different skills other than their normal skills associated with the area in which they live - ie farming.
It is important for there to be more diversification in productive skills, as basic farming for the family is not a good way to earn a good living any longer. Globalisation is here and here to stay.
A Tambon, is an administrative area in Thailand, usually containing approximately 10 or so villages.
Tambon being the third local administrative area down the ladder. In cities and large towns, the Tambon is not divided into villages.
The OTOP system of production or manufacture of new good within certain areas designated areas, bring with it the advantages of collective marketing, and an awareness of the products being made in that area.
There are also many OTOP outlets within Thailand which are dedicated to selling only OTOP goods.
A typical OTOP venture, is that that has been taken up by the 'Umbrella Village' - Bo Sang.
Most visitors to Thailand will have heard of it, and it is a class example of what can be achieved by adhering to the OTOP system of cooperation in all matters relating to the venture.
At the top is the District, below which is the Province, and then the Tambon. There are just over 7,000 Tambons in Thailand. The 'Tambon' in 'OTOP' is sometimes a single village.
OTOP is a system that was introduced to try help local villagers away from the hard toil of simply growing their own crops, and to allow them to cultivate - and commercialise - old craft skills which were sometimes unique to that village or area.
In other cases, skills which were new to the area were introduced, but retaining much of their historical base.
The OTOP system started in Japan, and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation) has been instrumental in the furtherance of the scheme in Thailand - promoting and importing many Thai OTOP product into Japan in 2002.
This included items such as silk and cotton fabrics, ceramics, wood carved products and basket-ware. japan further assisted by holding instructional seminars in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, and Hat Yai.
Various experts in crafts, business aspects and exporting were available to guide the members of the Thai ATOP scheme.
There are ongoing links as japanese businessmen still visit the Thai OTOP areas to procure suitable goods for the japanese marketplace. Some of the products available from village producers in the OTOP scheme.
The OTOP scheme in Thailand has been responsible for rejuvenating areas that were once struggling to do little more than feed themselves.