On February 9, 2023, Mrs. Arunee Hiam, Deputy-Director General, Acting Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), presided over the opening ceremony of the training programme on product design and manufacture, organised for a group of 30 participants, including government officials and local entrepreneurs from the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), between February 8 – 24, 2023 at Vajiranusorn Building, the Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

At the ceremony, she delivered an opening remark on behalf of TICA, together with Associate Professor Dr. Kampanat Pensupar, Vice President for International Affairs, and Assistant Professor Dr. Donludee Jaisut, who serves as Associate Dean for International Affairs and is undertaking the ODOP Project.

 

The training programme is one of the flagship activities of the Project on SMEs Development (One District One Product – ODOP) under the three-year framework of development cooperation between Thailand and Lao PDR (2020-2022), and is under the area of cooperation on trade, industry, and tourism. The project aims to further develop local enterprises and promote the local wisdom and culture of Lao PDR.

 

The ODOP is a localised concept that derives from its Thai counterpart, so-called "One Tambon One Product" (OTOP). In this regard, TICA, in collaboration with the Department of Trade Promotion, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Lao PDR, and Kasetsart University, has to date implemented the above-mentioned project in the five districts of Lao PDR: namely, Luang Namtha, Xayaboury, Oudomxay, Salavan, and Xiengkhouang.

 

In that connection, a total of 11 groups of similar products from those districts will be further developed in conjunction with the training programme in Thailand, consisting of Phousane Tea, Honey, Black Sesame Oil, Noodles, Fermented Beverages, Chicken Feather Plucker, Handicraft: Wickerwork; Handicraft: Indigo-dyed Fabrics; Handicraft: Cotton Fabrics, Handicraft: Woven Fabrics, and Handicraft: Mats and Pillows

 

Given that the Government of Thailand has attached greater importance to the socio-economic developments and inclusive security of neighbouring countries in the post Covid-19 recovery, the Project on SMEs (ODOP) is highly expected to create job opportunities and, thus, generate incomes for local communities across Lao PDR, as well as to ensure the country’s sustainable socio-economic growth in the long run.