Davao City-The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently opened the Davao one town one product (OTOP) display center with the aim to showcase the craftsmanship of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) all over the country.
The opening of the Davao OTOP display center, which is located at the second floor of DTI regional office, was led by Trade Undersecretary Merly M. Cruz.
The OTOP program is a business development strategy that aims to promote countryside development by promoting the SMEs involved in the production of goods and services from indigenous raw materials and/or skills. The program is patterned after the highly successful one-village-one-product (OVOP) program in Japan where the local government and private sector (represented by the various industry/trade organizations, chambers of commerce and industry, peoples’ organizations, etc.) play major roles.
DTI regional officer-in-charge Marizon S. Loreto said the center is a result of the successful convergence of initiatives among the various stakeholders. The launching will be the highlight of the quarterly meeting of DTI regional directors and other movers of the agency’s regional operations and development group (RODG).
“The OTOP display center is meant to showcase different OTOPs of all regions. DTI will be getting products not just from the SMEs of the Davao Region but also from the SMEs of Luzon and Visayas. We are showing here that we are not only keen on promoting our own products but rather, we are selling the country as a whole,” Loreto said.
The said facility will feature products from the sectors of food, gifts, toys and housewares (GTH), and home-style products.
“We are optimistic that this will really help augment and widen the market of our OTOP especially that this facility will be used for order-taking and will cater the institutional buyers as well,” Loreto said. (PIA)
