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Tag: Value chain

Value Chain ‘travel workshop’ program for Cao Bang delegation

Posted on by Luyen

For local policy makers from Cao Bang province, Fresh Studio organized a program from Dalat to the Red River and urban Hanoi. This program, organized as a workshop aimed at value chain development and the specific role of policy makers in this matter.

With the aim of improving the life of people in rural areas, Lux Development supports the IFAD funded Developing Business with the Rural Poor (DBRP) program. This program assists local Cao Bang authorities in value chain development and their specific role therein. One of the objectives is to enable local authorities in taking an active role in the development of value chains for Cao Bang products targeting urban markets like Hanoi. This requires that local authorities understand the meaning of value chains.  In particular, when working with perishable products it will be vital to understand how and where in the chain the ‘added value’ can be created. Important points for consideration are:

  • How is the added value shared?
  • How is Quality Assurance arranged?
  • How is added value marketed to whom and by whom?
  • Who is the chain leader?

Fresh Studio was approach by LUX Development for assistance in strengthening the knowledge of value chain development and creating a deeper understanding of implications and organisations of value chains.

Building on extensive experience with value chain development in Vietnam, Fresh Studio organised a ‘travel workshop’ program focusing on strengthening the knowledge and understanding of Cao Bang policy makers on value chain development in a practical and structured way.


Traveling along a value chain from Dalat to the Red River Delta and urban Hanoi, from production to consumption practical examples were combined with background information. This enabled the participants to translate the lessons learned to their own Cao Bang development context.

The program was completed with a classroom workshop that specifically addressed the structure and organization of value chains. Moreover it enabled the active sharing of lessons learned and ideas in developing value chains for Cao Bang products.

Sharing experiences on value chain development and food safety: A successful conference

Posted on by Luyen

HANOI – Sharing experiences about supplying safe, healthy, and high value food in Vietnam requires cross-cutting partnerships and cooperation.

The conference attracted over 175 participants ranging from leading supermarket chains to farmers, fresh produce production companies to research institutes, and government agencies to financial institutions. The different actors discussed the future of safe and healthy food provision in Vietnam.

The morning program presented the different stages of sustainable agriculture development in Vietnam:

Click here for the presentations.

  • Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Dr. Le Quoc Doanh, highlighted the urgency of food safety for the Vietnamese government as well as the importance of stimulating rural development. He emphasized the value of international collaboration: “ With positive collaborations from foreign countries and international organizations in cultivation, production and post-harvest techniques, more and more Vietnamese farmers could access advanced technologies to improve the quality of agricultural products, towards safe, healthy and high value products.”
  • To develop sustainable food chains, the Dutch Ambassador in Vietnam, Mr. Joop Scheffers stated that: “The Netherlands is a leading country in agricultural technology and innovation. We have been working with Vietnam for already many years in many sectors like horticulture, fisheries, cocoa, coffee, livestock and dairy. We do so by working with farmers and providing them trainings, by linking farmers with processors and retailers, and by supporting government agencies in drafting relevant regulations.” However, as many Dutchmen would say, the Ambassador closed his key-note speech with: “a lot still needs to be done… To make it successful, your pro-active participation as a consumer, producer, trader, researcher or retailer continues to be essential.”
  • Market opportunities of vegetables were indicated by Fresh Studio’s Marketing Director, Sigrid Wertheim-Heck. She illustrated that the vegetable consumption in Hanoi accounts 50% of the total vegetable consumption in The Netherlands. Despite of this fact, she indicated that: “94% of Vietnamese consumers are concerned about safe vegetables; however, the share of vegetables sold with a food safety claim is currently less than 4% of the total vegetable consumption in Vietnam”. Furthermore, she presented that lower income groups have remained an untapped, though potential market for safe quality foods.
  • Dr. Nicolas Chevrollier, Programme Manager of BoP Innovation Centre, highlighted the importance of developing specific lower income (also indicated as Base of Pyramid (BoP)) strategies and the approach to develop them. He stated that “The global BoP market is US$ 5 trillion, of which US$ 2,895 billion is spent on food”.
  • Fresh Studio’s R&D Director, Mr. Rene van Rensen, presented how Fresh Studio developed a sourcing system for METRO Cash & Carry in North Vietnam. Within this project, Fresh Studio worked with six farmer groups and 110 farmers in three different agro-ecological zones, in order to supply over 30 different certified vegetables. The presentation ended with the honorary awarding of lead farmers for their pioneering work, as well as directors of the supermarket chains who supported the launch of the safe vegetables in their stores.
  • The success of the developed value chain for safe vegetables was further highlighted in the presentation of Mr. Philippe Bacac, CEO of METRO Cash & Carry Vietnam. With 19 large stores in Vietnam, 2 sourcing platforms, 100 dedicated cold trucks and 3,000 pallets cold storage space, Metro invested significantly in its supply chain.


Click here for the presentations.

The afternoon program included participatory ‘World Café’ discussions about Food safety and Health, Horticulture, Value Chain Development, Private Public Partnership, and Sourcing and Logistics. Perspectives of the different participants have led to fruitful and interesting discussions.

An exhibition and a marketplace with agro-food related demonstrations including IT innovations in agronomy, hydroponic lettuce cultivation and blind taste tests provided attendants with impressions of developments and activities within the agricultural sector.

The conference resulted in networking opportunities and creation of actionable and future oriented business ventures.https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gru22qA5oWU?rel=0Also interesting to read:

Asia sows seeds of change

Posted on by Luyen

HCMC – Asia is set to become the epicentre for vegetable seed development over the next half-century, one expert predicts.

Asia will become the centre for seed development over the next 50 years, according to agricultural consultancy and research and development company Fresh Studio.

The group’s Siebe van Wijk says ‘modern’ agriculture is relatively young in asia, and the rise of the professional vegetable seed sector in Asia has only just begun.

+ Download the complete article

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Source: AsiaFruit Magazine

Publication date: December 2010Also interesting to read:

Value Chain Development of Avocado in Vietnam

Posted on by Luyen

HANOI – Rapid economic development, urbanisation and rising income levels, in Vietnam offer potential for pro-poor development, by creating new market opportunities for producers, traders and retailers. This article describes the process of value chain development, which involves all actors in the broad chain of avocado.

The project

Dak Lak, a province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, is an important coffee producing area. Many poor ethnic minorities are engaged in coffee farming. Their dependence on coffee cultivation only at a time of decreasing coffee prices made income diversification an urgent necessity. Dak Lak area is also known for producing the best quality avocados in Vietnam. Because avocado trees are grown within coffee plantations to provide shade, and because demand for avocado was growing, avocado was defined as a potential crop to diversify the coffee dominated agricultural sector in Dak Lak. Avocado was also considered because of its high nutritional value and its potential to improve the poor-quality diet of the local rural communities, and of children in particular.

This product choice was made in cooperation with local research institutions and local farmers. The aim of the intervention plan was to create a professional value chain for avocado, in which the different chain actors cooperate to supply consistent quality avocados to urban sales channels across Vietnam. The objectives were to: (1) create a professional avocado chain; (2) increase awareness of and demand for avocado (avocado is relatively unknown in Vietnam and consumers are not familiar with its nutritional values and its uses); (3) develop a high quality avocado brand.

+ Download the complete article

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Source: Urban Agriculture magazine

Publication date: September 2010Also interesting to read:

Paper: Avocado in Vietnam. Value chain development beyond donor support

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HANOI – Numerous initiatives implemented by international donors in Vietnam aiming for elevation of rural communities out of poverty, predominantly focus on farmers.

Paper contents:

Authors: S.C.O. Wertheim-Heck, P. Quaedackers, Nguyen Trung Anhb, M.S. van Wijk

1. Introduction

1.1 VCG literature in relation to the case under study

1.1.1 Global value vs. local value chains for pro-poor development
1.1.2 International lead firm vs. local lead firm
1.1.3 The role of the retail in relation to a new product introduction

1.2 Donor practices: Short term impact vs. long term business sustainability

1.3 The VC development facilitator

2. Case study – Avocado Value Chain Development in Vietnam

2.1 Methodology

2.2 Background

2.3 Participatory value chain analysis

2.4 Focus beyond farmers

2.4.1 Farmers
2.4.2 Collectors
2.4.3 Traders
2.4.4 Modern urban sales channels

2.5 The identification of a traditional trader as ‘lead firm’

2.6 Incorporation of the consumer perspective

2.7 Step by step approach

2.8 Results

3. Discussion: sustainable success: despite of or thanks to the differences?

3.1 Recommendations for further research

+ Avocado in Vietnam (306 KB)

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Source: Fresh Studio

Publication date: April 2010Also interesting to read:

MDF & Fresh Studio’s Value Chain Development course in Bali

Posted on by Luyen

BALI – 14 participants from all over the world participated in the Value Chain Development training course which was organized by MDF and Fresh Studio.

During the one week course, participants analyzed value chains on which they were working in their own countries. These VC’s ranged from Cashmere wool in Mongolia, to cucumbers in Cambodia. One day of the course was spent analyzing an existing supply chain for vegetables on Bali.

In 2009, the course will be organized again in Hanoi (1-5th of June) and in Bali (19-23rd of October). Participants can register through the MDF website: www.mdf.nl

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