MORE than a hundred micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the Visayas are expected to join the 4th Visayas One Town, One Product (OTOP) Fair from Nov. 18 to 22 at the SM City Cebu atrium.

Products for sale will include souvenir items, novelty items, gift items, furniture and furnishings, natural fiber, fashion accessories, bags, shawls, processed food and footwear. Tourist destinations will also be included in the OTOP marketing program.

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Cebu was chosen as the venue this year because it is the center of trade and commerce in the Visayas and Mindanao, said a press statement from the trade department. Invited to the fair are buyers from Manila and the regions, governors, mayors and other government officials from national agencies.

The 4th Visayas OTOP fair will focus on selling the products produced by the MSMEs of the three regions under the OTOP Philippines program.

OTOP is one of the Arroyo administration’s programs to promote entrepreneurship.

It encourages MSMEs to produce and market distinct products or services using indigenous raw materials and local skills of every municipality or city.

While the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is the project’s marketing arm, OTOP is a “collaborative” effort of all sectors in the society, with the local government units (LGUs) taking the lead.

LGU executives identify, develop and promote a specific product or service that has a competitive advantage.

The DTI, through its provincial offices, assists the LGUs in identifying the product and coordinating assistance from other government agencies like the Departments of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Interior and Local Government, Science and Technology, Tourism and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority, among others.

The assistance includes business counseling, skills and entrepreneurial training, marketing, and introduction of appropriate technologies.

The first and third OTOP fairs were held in Cebu City, while the second fair took place in Boracay.

The program highlights the tourism and market potentials of the Central Philippines supra-region, which attracts more than half of the foreign tourists in the country.

For businesses that lack a high level of marketing, an intra-regional exhibit like the Visayas Otop (One Town, One Product) Fair is a good opportunity to showcase “the best of Philippine products.” (PR)