UNIDO and IFAD join hands to launch a new project to develop the fruit value chain in the Mekong River Delta

Hanoi, 2 June 2021 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD), have launched a new project to improve the fruit value chain in Vietnam through the use of a digital platform.

The project Building Forward Better-A Resilient Women and Youth Centred and Digitally Enhanced Value Chain Development Project in Vietnam is being implemented together with the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee, the Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. As part of the launch, the first coordination meeting was held virtually this week, with the participation of representatives from all parties to reach a common agreement on planned activities.

The project was jointly developed by UNIDO and IFAD and funded by United Nations COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund. The initiative creates an innovative model that is gender and youth centered and digitally enhances the fruit value chains in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

Nima Bahramalian, UNIDO Project Manager, highlighted that the project will focus on “increasing income for women and youth and their social empowerment in a sustainable way”. “These goals will be achieved through building “a digital ecosystem that replicates the physical value chain and support services. The digital platform will be a single comprehensive space that reaches all actors in the value chain.”, he added.

IFAD Country Director, Francisco Pichón, commented that: “The project will create synergies with IFAD’s other on-going projects in country that promote inclusive and climate-smart agro value chains. It will do this by working with local farmers to develop climate-smart farming models, provide business training for them and by linking smallholder farmers with wholesale and processing enterprises.”

This project is a pilot that will run through April 2022. The main products that will be included are pomelo and mango, which are the specialty fruits of the Ben Tre and Dong Thap provinces. With high scale-up potential, the initiative will consider adding more products to the platform in the future.

For more information, contact:

Le Thi Thanh Thao, UNIDO Office Vietnam, Country Representative 

Email: t.t.le@unido.org 

Francisco Pichon, IFAD Country Director

Email: f.pichon@ifad.org

International Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Vietnam