Denmark Funds VND210 Billion to Vietnam’s Agriculture, Tourism

A representative of the Danish-funded Global Competitiveness Facility for Vietnamese Enterprises (GCF) said the Government of Denmark will add VND210 billion of non-refundable aid to agricultural, tourism and handicraft development projects in Vietnam from 2011 to 2013.

 

Benefited localities include Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, An Giang and Can Tho. Accordingly, 80 projects of smallholding businesses, business households and farmers will be funded from VND100 million to VND8 billion each

 

The goal of GCF is to help increase competitiveness capacity of private export-oriented companies in Vietnam by creating a wider access to proper commercial services and applying creative business models.

Mr Amarnath Reddy, senior adviser to CFG, said: “In this second phase, we do not expect the cooperation with State-owned research institutes or special business partnership projects. We will focus on projects implemented directly by thousands of farmers with the hope of changing agriculture-based thinking and culture. By our initiatives and new technologies, we will help farmers and businesses understand the importance of increasing the value of agricultural products before and after harvesting, thus helping them to raise export value. These thinking changes will be applied to all objects in the export-oriented value chain, from farmers, traders, manufacturers and exporters. In addition, companies need long-term sustainable visions to enhance the value of exported products. Currently, Vietnamese companies mainly focus on competing on prices while making light of heightening long-term value for their products.

 

In the first phase from 2006 to 2010, the GCF programme financed 96 projects totalling VND135 billion in four provinces of former Ha Tay, Nghe An, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong. This programme helped create nearly 6,400 new jobs, increase export revenues by VND58 billion for smallholding businesses, business households and farmers in these localities.