Home-grown products soon to receive national ODOP recognition
Home-grown products soon to receive national ODOP recognition
Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce's Trade and Promotion Department plan to unveil the national ‘One District, One Product' (ODOP) plaque for handmade products in Luang Prabang and Vientiane provinces.
The ODOP plaque will be revealed for handmade products in Luang Prabang district, Luang Prabang province, and Phonhong district in Vientiane province, at a date yet to be fixed.
“We may reveal the ODOP plaque in Luang Prabang by the end of this month or next month, followed by Phonhong district,” the department's Deputy Director General, Mr Phouvong Phommabouth, said on Monday.
Mr Phouvong said the department has been cooperating with producers since last month and has found that their production and management have met the required criteria.
The criteria and standards of products selected for ODOP recognition include being locally produced, containing local raw materials (at least 80 percent), local wisdom, production processing and package design.
The products must be of high quality and be certified by the concerned sectors, according to a handout at an ODOP plaque unveiling ceremony in Vientiane.
The department will reveal the ODOP plaque in Luang Prabang and Vientiane provinces after it first made public a plaque for the Nam Mak Yor (noni juice) production unit in Phonsavang village, Chanthabouly district, Vientiane, last month.
The department also hopes to confer the plaque for some products produced in Sangthong, Sisattanak and Sikhottabong districts in Vientiane sometime in the near future.
“Currently we are checking that production and operations meet the criteria requirements,” he said.
The plaque exposure for the products is designed to introduce and promote local production throughout the country. The ODOP initiative aims to generate direct income for the producers, especially low-income earners.
The ODOP endorsement certifies a quality product, the purchase of which will be one way to help reduce poverty because the scheme's benefits include greater employment and incomes for local villagers.
The ODOP certificate will push producers to work harder because ODOP also means a national label. It certifies the great effort the producers have put into production and improvement, and also the fact that the product is becoming increasingly popular.
The Trade and Promotion Department recently gave ODOP certification to two products in Sisattanak district, Vientiane. Champassak, Savannakhet, Xekong, Attapeu and Saravan provinces are currently seeking certification for local products.
vientiane times
