First ODOP fair kicks off in Hadxaifong
First ODOP fair kicks off in Hadxaifong
The first one district one product “ODOP” fair in Hadxaifong district of Vientiane was officially opened on Monday, featuring more than 50 booths exhibiting goods made by local villagers and also those of other districts.
The inaugural five-day innovation fair running from October 5-10 at the Inpeng Ethnic Culture Park is being hosted by Hadxaifong district authorities an d the relevant sectors.
The exhibition will cover various locally made items, including food items, drinks, herbal medicines and handmade products such as silver, weavings and wooden carvings, processed foods and beverages as well as other goods.
The objective of the event is to discover which products have the potential to represent the villages and districts through the ODOP scheme.
Another objective was to promote the improvement of the production process and services resulting i n higher efficiency that will contribute substantially to national socio-economic development and to making Lao products competitive on both domestic and international markets.
The event is one of the activities under the ODOP promotion project, which is the responsibility of the district authorities.
The authorities will continue to promote and award the ODOP logo in every one of the city's nine districts, according to an official from Hadxaifong district authority, who noted that “Many foreign buyers are interested in these products because they are organic. The organic label is the outstanding feature of Lao products.”
The event is one of the priorities of the district authorities in implementing its development of local products to receive national ODOP recognition.
The criteria for ODOP recognition requires that goods are locally produced, contain local raw materials (at least 80 percent) and use local wisdom, and also relate to production processing and package design. The products must be of high quality and be certified by the concerned sectors.
The plaques are intended to introduce and promote local production throughout the country. The ODOP initiative aims to generate direct income for produ cers, especially poor people.
The ODOP endorsement certifies a quality product which when purchased by consumers is also helping to further poverty alleviation.
The ODOP certificate will push producers to work harder because ODOP is a nationally recognised label. It acknowledges the great effort the producers have put into production and improvement, and also the fact that the product is becoming increasingly popular.
At the exhibition, attendees can enjoy buying different kinds of products including clothing, dry foods, drinks, kitchen utensils and home decorations.
At present, Lao ODOPs have been displayed not only in the country but also exhibited overseas, for example in China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The opening was attended by Hadxaifong district Governor Mr Bountham Phoutthavongsa, IP Group President Mr Ad Phannivong and other invited guests.
