Speaking of Thailand, what do you think of? Sun, beach, or Bangkok’s dazzling array of snacks?
In recent years, more and more tourists have set their sights on small villages. These villages all have famous names-Paper Umbrella Village, Wood Carving Village, Pottery Village, etc. Without exception, they all have a unique skill that attracts tourists.
This is exactly the result of Thailand’s “One Village, One Product” (OTOP) plan. Since its implementation in 2001, this plan has brought huge changes to the Thai villages, not only improving the living standards of the villagers, but also boosting their confidence.
Mr. Nong Ginseng concluded that Thailand’s OTOP plan has achieved remarkable results mainly due to the following three supports.
Government one-stop service
- financial support
From the very beginning of the “One Village, One Product” plan, the support of the Thai government has always played a key role. Both the central and local governments of Thailand have set up the “One Village, One Product” committee, and require each province (equivalent to a Chinese province) to have its own “competitive products.” In 2001, the Thai government allocated 1 million baht per village to 45,000 natural villages across the country as start-up funds, and each village independently chose to lead product development.
- Star certification
In recent years, the Thai government has established a quality improvement system with the “star certification system” as the core, and set up a special committee to carry out the selection of “one village, one product” demonstration villages, and selected nearly 500 best products. Officially registered as “OTOP (one village, one product)” product. If you look closely at the logo of the “One Village, One Product” product, people will find that different products have different star ratings. The five-star recognition means that the product is of excellent quality, meets the high standards set by the National One Village One Product Activity Committee of Thailand, and has good export potential. If you get a three-star or four-star product, there is still room for improvement, and you can sprint to a five-star product.
- Planning guidance
These characteristic products can enjoy the support of various government departments in business consulting, packaging design, market channels, technical services, etc. For example, the Thai Ministry of Industry helps to plan product development, technical training and quality control; the Thai Ministry of Internal Affairs cooperates with each village and town to help fine-tune products for the market; the Thai Ministry of Commerce provides in addition to product design, packaging and quality control. In addition to guidance, it also explores potential markets for products, establishes intellectual property rights to protect the wisdom of local people, and facilitates the establishment of connections between domestic and foreign markets; Thailand’s Export Promotion Agency is responsible for selecting products to participate in trade shows and providing export assistance.
- Open market
At the same time, Thailand has set up “One Village, One Product” product exhibition centers in almost all tourist attractions and airports, and opened an e-commerce website to provide online ordering services, allowing Thai handicrafts to move from the countryside to the world. It can be said that the combination of tourism and the promotion of the handicraft industry is one of the measures that “one village, one product” can quickly enter the consumer market.
The company established in Thailand to promote tourism and tourism is responsible for leading tourists from home and abroad to the villages of handicraft producers. Through the visit and experience, the working environment, handicrafts, local customs and culture of the producers can be better understood by the outside world. This move has not only realized the connection of production and sales, but also the handicraft culture of the village itself has become a part of tourism, and the value of handicraft products has been spread and promoted.
Through the “One Village, One Product”, the Thai people have learned about many cultural customs that were not familiar to them before. Urban residents have actively participated in the “One Village, One Product” activity. For example, the “One Village One Product Snack Expo” held in Bangkok every year is very popular.
Regarding the role of the government in the One Village One Product Project, Ms. Tie Ding, director of the Agricultural Research Center of Yuanyi Think Tank, believes that the government must not only provide support through various policies, but also grasp the degree of participation, not excessively interfere, and fully mobilize the construction. The initiative of the subject. For village-level participants, understanding the policy will help the smooth development of one village, one product. Take my country’s “One Village, One Product” demonstration village and town declaration as an example. Each application has a quota of 150,000 yuan, but there are two main ways of subsidies. One is direct subsidy to the two village committees, which are distributed and used by the village collective, and the other is subsidy to cooperatives. , Enterprises, family farms and other new agricultural business entities, subsidies to ordinary farmers are relatively small.
Talent participation
- College Students
In order to make up for the shortage of rural human resources, the Thai government encourages fresh graduates to participate in the implementation of the “One Village, One Product” project. Every year, nearly 10,000 Thai college graduates are allowed to participate in the “One Village, One Product” program to receive 10-month part-time and part-time training in rural areas, and they can also receive monthly state subsidies. The relevant scientific research institutions of the Thai state have also undertaken the task of guiding farmers in the region to promote the “One Village One Product” project.
- Farmer
In addition, many regions in Thailand hold handicraft training courses from time to time every year. Local farmers between the ages of 16 and 50 can sign up for the training. This kind of training does not require education level, priority is given to disabled persons, and special care is given to families with financial difficulties. After the training, the trainees return home and can engage in cottage industry production on their own. If you can’t find a sales market, you can also contact the person in charge of training and store the product in the store of the training center for sale.
- volunteer
Some public welfare organizations or social volunteers will also join the project to conduct in-depth research on the handicraft industry and explore the cultural connotation of the product. The combination of local craftsmen and artists and designers has allowed local products to grow vigorously. Many products are created by villagers and artists together. It is the consensus of artists and villagers to make high-quality and innovative products.
With the efforts of the Thai government and enterprises, some rural handicrafts have also been displayed in the bustling shopping malls in downtown Bangkok. With a prominent position, sales have naturally risen, and villagers’ income has also increased. According to media reports, in Nongbu Village, Shanpao Township, Udon Thani, Udon Thani Province, northeastern Thailand, members of the “Udon Thani Province Disabled Persons with One Heart Mutual Aid Association” succeeded in putting handicrafts together with the help of the “One Village, One Product” project. The woven plastic tote bag was sent to the “Good Goods” specialty store in Bangkok’s Central World Shopping Center. The villagers said that the handbags woven in the village were sent to Bangkok’s big shopping mall, and the money sold was enough for two children to go to school.
Rural revitalization, industrial prosperity is the focus, and talent is the key. Teacher Tie Ding, director of the Yuanyi Agricultural Research Center, believes that under the brand strategy of strengthening agriculture, whether it is the construction of regional brands, corporate brands, product brands, or rural brands, it is necessary to strengthen the sense of participation of the main body of brand building. There are brands. This includes not only the main body of direct construction of the docking product, but also the talents who need to collaborate in the process of brand extension. Like Thailand’s one village, one product, it has fully mobilized all resources in the society, which can lay a solid foundation for brand building and accumulate enough publicity points for brand promotion.
Different regions for development
In advancing the One Village One Product plan, localities adapt measures to local conditions, and products in different regions have their own merits.
Northern ThailandIt is a rainforest covered mountainous area, where many beautiful and colorful rural tribes live. The tribe has its own customs and crafts, especially good at embroidery, weaving cotton fabrics, and making silverware and jewelry. The fertile valley has a long historical tradition that has nurtured superb craftsmanship. The outstanding craftsmanship of the locals also includes carving woodwork and weaving paper products and bamboo products using local materials.
Northeast ThailandThe plateau area is vast but relatively poor. Agriculture is the mainstay of local people’s lives. There is a tradition of hand-knitting, which is used for daily necessities. Silk and cotton fabrics are abundant in the area. The most popular is the Mami style design fabric, which is the design of dyeing the fabric into colored lines. In addition, there are silk products made of natural color. The styles and colors of this kind of products vary with the place of origin. Other popular handicrafts include reed mats and unique triangular pillows.
From a geographical perspective,Central RegionIt is the heart of Thailand. The central plain surrounded by the Chao Phraya River is a large rice planting area. The soil is fertile and suitable for cultivation. It is a home for orchards, rice fields and forests. The Mon and Khmer tribes lived in the early central area, and they left relics in the development history of this area. In modern times, the development of the central region was influenced by Ayutthaya and Bangkok. Today, it has developed into the modern center of Thailand, but it still produces traditional bamboo handicrafts, clay pots and other clay products.
Eastern ThailandThe area is a narrow coastal zone from Bangkok to the Thai-Cambodian border. It is also a fertile agricultural area and is famous for producing a variety of high-quality fruits. The processed fruit foods there are very popular. In addition to relying on tourist resorts such as Pattaya, Rayong and Trat to generate income, the people of the eastern region are also famous throughout the country for producing a variety of bamboo, rattan baskets, reed mats and fabrics.
Southern ThailandThe area is a peninsula that extends to Malaysia. Along the way, there is a long coastline with beautiful harbors and tropical islands, and there are endless rolling mountains. In addition to fishing income from the sea, people in the southern region also rely on income from the production of rubber and tin products, and the sale of coconuts, pineapples and other fruits to make a living. Lipao fabrics, reed fabrics, pannan Pandanus fabrics and wood carving handicrafts are also very popular in this area.
It is pointed out in the application materials of the Yipin Yipin Demonstration Town that it is necessary to make full use of the local superior resources, through the implementation of regionalization, specialization, industrialization, standardization, specialization, and branding, so that a village (county, township) has one or more A leading product and characteristic brand with a high level of development and obvious characteristics. Teacher Tie Ding, director of the Agricultural Research Center of Yuanyi Think Tank, said that judging from the current construction situation, it is not uncommon to see the phenomenon of one product in one thousand villages and one side in one thousand villages. Without characteristics, it lacks the spiritual support of the brand, and thus cannot obtain greater sustainable economic, social and ecological benefits.
The construction of one village, one product emphasizes the prominent leading industries, and the professional villages and towns that have obtained the registration and protection of agricultural geographical indications, Chinese geographical indication certification trademarks or national geographical indication protection product certification are given priority. It can be seen from this that to build a distinctive brand, it is necessary to tap and amplify the advantages of landmark products, and build the brand around its three worlds, namely, the world of quality and deliciousness, the world of history and culture, and the world of green ecology.
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