One Town One Product (OTOP) is a project begun in 1989 and supervised by the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

(ROC) to promote products from the territories in the ROC jurisdiction.

History

In 1989, to promote local companies in Taiwan, the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, an organization under the control of Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, had adapted the concept of " One Town One Product" from Japan and formed an expert team to research local industries and distinctive products in Taiwan. This expert team was composed of specialists from design, financing, marketing working side by side with local companies to promote excellent products from Taiwan, especially ones that are blend of tradition and the unique art of Taiwan. OTOP at the present time has regroups more than 100 companies around Taiwan,

Pescadores The Penghu (, Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, cov ...

, and

Matsu Islands The Matsu Islands ( or , ; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤), officially Lienchiang County (, ; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ( ...

. Under the close supervision and help from Small and Medium Enterprises Administration, companies have transformed the natural simple resources into masterpieces of Taiwanese traditional art which is blended by the touch of Taiwanese artist. Today, with more than 1000 products have exhibited daily in OTOP centers around the island.

Products

Under the supervision and encouragement from the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, all the products of OTOP are handcrafts and have made from locally available material using wisdom and skill handed down from generation to generation. The OTOP project has strong support from the Taiwanese government on different levels – identifying the potential OTOP product, advising on design and production, packaging and design that can attract both local and international markets.

Challenges

With the support of Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, many selected products have exhibited in OTOP centers and many fairs organized by SMEA to promote these quality products into domestic and international markets. Many websites were set up to market Taiwanese town products.

OTOP Shop

From last year and this year two OTOP shops were opened in Kaohsiung and in

Taipei 101 Taipei 101 (; stylized as TAIPEI 101), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a supertall skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. This building was officially classified as the world's tallest from its opening in 2004 until the 2009 ...

to provide a greater access to international buyers and tourists varieties of traditional products developed under the OTOP – Taiwan Project.

References

External links