GREAT is an innovative, market-oriented program funded by the Australian  Government and working in Son La and Lao Cai provinces in northwest Vietnam. The program works with  innovative and forward-thinking commercial businesses, as well as government partners, to identify and  unlock economic opportunities for ethnic minority women producers and entrepreneurs. https://equality.aus4vietnam.org/ 

A sector with growth opportunity: the medicinal plant sector is a dynamic and growing opportunity for  both producers and the pharmaceutical industry in Vietnam, and particularly in the northwest of Vietnam.  The region has experienced significant growth in recent years and Vietnam has a potentially significant  competitive advantage in meeting this growing demand both domestically, regionally and internationally. 

High potential amongst traditional producers in northwest Vietnam: northwest Vietnam’s ethnic  minority communities have a long and respected tradition in producing a diverse array of traditional and  well as new medicinal plants. The local environment is well-suited to this sector, and production offers  significant economic benefits for local producers – and in particular ethnic minority women producers.  

The challenge: production in the northwest currently faces stiff competition from imported plant material;  struggles to offer the industry the diversity, quality and consistency of plant materials needed; and the  fragmented production can be challenging to organise. 

The opportunity: if innovative solutions can be found to these challenges, the sector offers significant and  long-term commercial opportunities for both ethnic minority women producers and the pharmaceutical  industry in Vietnam. The potential is significant if Vietnam’s innovation and expertise can be harnessed.  The Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) Program is looking to partner with  forward-looking pharmaceutical companies to unlock the potential in the medicinal plant commodities sector and test new and better ways of developing its production, productivity and supply chain  management for the benefit of those businesses and ethnic minority women producers who supply them. 

A strategic opportunity for the right business partner 

Objective 

The objective of the GREAT program is to work with one or more sector partners to test, develop and  operationalise innovative business ideas that seek to transform the medicinal plant commodity sectors  from low value conventional production toward GACP-WHO compliance to access potential markets in  Son La and Lao Cai and open up mutual opportunities for ethnic minority women producers and  pharmaceutical industry business investors. This is an ambitious agenda that seeks to build strong and  effective partnerships between sector leaders and ethnic minority women suppliers and requires both  innovation and a commitment to the medicinal plant commodity sector in northwest of Vietnam. 

The GREAT program is seeking to support business initiative and innovation and would like to hear from  those willing and able to try new ways of working with small scale producers and cooperatives and who  are prepared to invest in successful models to develop the medicinal plant commodity sector in northwest  Vietnam. The right business partner(s) will have the following expertise and interests: 

• A track record in the production, supply and/or manufacture of medicinal plant products from  northwest Vietnam 
• Extensive knowledge, know-how and networks in the medicinal plant commodities sector and  supply chains in Vietnam, particularly the northwest 
• A track record of working with ethnic minority producers and cooperatives and/or in the  development and support of supply chains characterised by large numbers of small scale producers • Feasible business plans (under implementation or to be implemented) that seek to develop the  GACP-WHO medicinal plants production areas Son La and/or Lao Cai 
• Willingness and capacity to co-invest in supply chain development and production support If the above applies to you or your organisation, then GREAT would welcome your Expression of Interest: 

Your commitment: partnering with GREAT, provincial stakeholders and ethnic minority producer  communities, particularly women, to pilot solutions for the development of the medicinal plant  commodities sector in northwest Vietnam, including co-investing in the form of expertise, resources and  finance. 

GREAT’s commitment: supporting selected partners with critical resources including technical expertise  and co-financing mobilise producers, build production and semi-processing capability and develop  mutually beneficial production and off-take arrangements to drive quality, growth and resilience in the  sector.