OTOP is an acronym which stands for ‘One Tambon One Product’. ‘Tambon’ is the Thai word for an administrative geographical area roughly corresponding to the English ’sub-district’, and in practice representing one large village or a grouping of closely situated smaller ones. The initaitive was introduced nationwide in Thailand in 2001 by the then Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra. It is said that he took the idea from a prior visit to Japan where the authorities had organised and co-ordinated local communities to focus on the specialised production of goods, giving them grants, loans and other support in areas such as marketing and business organisation.

In Thailand, the OTOP initiative was well received by the rural producers, who benefitted from being able to further hone their skills in specialist production techniques often taught to them initially by older generations of their family who in turn were taught by their own parents and grandparents. With the added security of effective government backing for their products, artisans were able to push their creativity and diversify stylistically within the areas of their core skills. So, for example, communities specialising in the production of celadon ceramics could offer their traditional green crackle-glazed vases but also introduce novel and exciting new shapes, colours and modern designs to attract a wider market. Producers of functional goods such as rice containers - which had an important practical use in the past - could embellish them with illustrations and other decorations, and effectively ‘ornamentalise’ them, again opening them up to a broader spectrum of buyers. Further to these important business benefits, the OTOP scheme found favour with most Thai people for promoting Thai culture through the maintenance and development of indigenous skills and raw materials.

Although not strictly speaking a brand, OTOP is used commonly to describe the output of any tambon which receives government support for its production and marketing. At Lanna Thai Crafts, all our products will in some way have been influenced buy the OTOP initiative - if not through direct government funding and advice, then through the indirect effect of increased prosperity and business opportunities throught the tambons of Thailand in general over the last 5 years to 2006.

The effect on OTOP of the ouster of Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra has yet to be noticed at all. So far nothing seems to have changed, but we’ll keep you posted.

Update (07/08/07): Officials aligned with the current government installed by the military have continued to endorse the OTOP project initiated by deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra. The area which housed the massive Royal Flora Exposition in Chiang Mai at the beginning of 2007 was recently used as the venue for a large exhibition of products supported by the OTOP scheme. It would appear, therefore, that given its ingrained popularity among rural cottage industries, OTOP is here for good!