The Otop fair to be held from Dec 15-23 at Muang Thong Thani will showcase an enormous range of specialities from all regions of Thailand. It is one of the grandest and most interesting fairs to visit. At the same time, it is one where buyers often face difficulty in finding things they are looking for.
A major Otop fair happens twice a year: at midyear and year-end. These fairs have been going for over 10 years, yet, for some reason, the floor plan keeps changing. One year, it was zoned by region -- North, Northeast, Central and South. Within each zone, booths were grouped according to product type: handicrafts, arts, food, etc.
The following year, they decided to arrange everything by product type regardless of their place of origin. So the textile section, for example, was a cluster of stalls selling woven cloths, apparel, blanket, curtains and so on from all over Thailand. The crafts zone grouped together basketry, wood carving, blacksmiths and leather products. The art section included artificial flowers, jewellery and home decor items.
A year later, the whole floor plan was reset again, this time province by province in Thai alphabetical order. Each province had all types of products made in their respective tambon.
Even the set-up of the food zone, where tables and seats are provided for visitors to sit and eat, gets changed around all the time. At some fairs, separate eating areas have been located at opposite ends of the hall. Once, food stalls from the North and Northeast were grouped at one end, while Central and Southern food was at the other. Another time, different regional food stalls were all put together, with Pattani and Songkhla cuisine alongside food from Bangkok and Khon Kaen.
Such constant changes have caused confusion among visitors. Many would go straight to the spot where they found a certain product during a previous visit only to find something else entirely. Imagine you have been craving kaw lae grilled chicken from Betong for months; you arrive at the fair and head straight to the stall full of anticipation. But it's not there. Eventually, you may discover it at the other end of the hall! This can be a frustrating and disheartening experience, especially for senior citizens or people with young children.
About a month ago the Department of Community Development, Interior Ministry, the government agency responsible for promoting Otop, announced a new policy called Nawat Vithee (which roughly translates as "innovative living"). Under this policy, Otop products will not be brought to Bangkok or other major cities to sell. Instead, the idea is that people will be encouraged to travel to the provinces in order to buy locally-made products at local Otop centres.
This policy is meant to promote provincial tourism, especially to so-called second-tier provinces. The government wants to use domestic tourism as a stimulus to boost provincial economies, create more income for locals and help reduce logistics expenses for Otop manufacturers, the majority of whom are small to medium-sized enterprises.
Otop Nawat Vithee is still in its infancy and its efficacy remains to be seen. Based on my observations, the Department of Community Development has given rather low priority to food products. It has always been clear to me that Otop is a godsend for food lovers. The food of each region has its own distinctive qualities and receives overwhelming interest from visitors.
Some outstanding products that I look forward to at any Otop fair are gaeng som or gaeng lueang paste from Phatthalung; palm sugar from Phetchaburi; coconut sugar from Samut Songkhram; southern-style fermented fish budu sauce from Sai Buri, Pattani; shrimp paste from Klong Khon, Samut Songkhram; dry salted fish from Sikao, Trang; chilli paste from Sam Chuk, Suphan Buri; smoked fish from Ayutthaya; fish sauce made from pla soy from Ang Thong and Sukhothai; curry paste from Trat; northeastern-style beef sausage from Khon Kaen; processed pork from Nong Khai; jasmine rice from northeastern provinces and a lot more.
Thus, the food on offer at Otop fairs is a major highlight, typically attracting more buyers than other goods. The food doesn't last long, of course, and once people have consumed it, they want more. But it's not usually easy to get something of the same quality that they had at the fair. So they have to wait another six months until the next Otop fair comes around.
Bangkok is a very large city, full of people from different backgrounds and food cultures. Bangkokians have much higher purchasing power compared with the rest of the country. It would make sense, therefore, for the Community Development Department to build distribution centres in Bangkok and major cities to showcase the wide range of local food products that Thailand has to offer throughout the year.
Transporting certain foods up and down the country can be problematic, with factors such as smell, fragility or bulk to consider. No one would want to buy Sikao salted fish and carry it on a flight home. How many heavy sacks of jasmine rice from Isan would you be willing to carry home? The list goes on.
The Otop fair represents the various histories, traditions and cultures of the peoples of Thailand, created using age-old techniques and wisdom passed down through generations. The products are of a high standard and are sustainable. But government policies and organisational mismanagement do not always do justice to the products and the people who make them.
