Empowering Local Economies and Fostering Sustainable Agriculture
Launched in April 2023, the “Honoring Vietnamese Agricultural Products” project marks the first collaboration between Shopee, ShopeeFood, and FoodMap, a provider of agricultural products. The project revolves around three core activities: supporting farmers in preserving native plants, connecting Vietnamese farmers with end-users at reasonable prices, and donating a portion of the profits to help farmers improve their production processes to meet VietGAP standards. These initiatives aim to enhance the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products and provide a sustainable livelihood for farmers.
Throughout 2023, the “Honoring Vietnamese Agricultural Products” project has made tangible contributions to improving production processes and increasing farmers’ incomes. FoodMap has actively assisted cooperatives in standardizing cultivation processes, implementing technology in farming, and distributing products through e-commerce platforms. Shopee, on the other hand, has provided marketing support to boost sales revenue and utilized the profits to create a cycle of sustainable agriculture.
In the initial phase of the project, FoodMap focused on supporting cooperatives in preserving traditional mango varieties in Khanh Hoa province, ensuring market access for farmers.
Since its launch until early March of this year, FoodMap has organized consulting and training activities, as well as assisted farmers in working with testing agencies. Between late March and early April 2024, FoodMap and Shopee personally awarded VietGAP certifications to a total of 10 farms in provinces such as Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Khanh Hoa, Bac Giang, Binh Phuoc, Son La, and others.
Farmer Bac Bay Chơn remarked, “Growing mangoes according to VietGAP standards has reduced production costs and increased mango prices by 5-10%, depending on the time of year. We even have guaranteed purchases because of the quality commitment, eliminating the fear of oversupply and low prices.”
Recently, FoodMap also awarded VietGAP certification to Nguyen Minh Thuy’s 14.2-hectare lychee and guava orchard under the Luc Ngan Xanh Cooperative. The cooperative is also working with Nguyen Dai Duong’s 5-hectare coffee farm and Nguyen Xuan Van’s plum orchard under the Moc Chau Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative.
“The cultivation processes in these farms have improved significantly, helping the plants grow more consistently, increasing yields, and enhancing the quality of the fruits after harvest. Moreover, the VietGAP certification has opened up new business opportunities, not only increasing orders but also attracting major retail chains who come directly to the farms to sign long-term supply contracts,” Ms. Thuy noted.
Impressive Results: E-commerce Livestreaming as a “Stepping Stone”
As a strategic partner in the “Honoring Vietnamese Agricultural Products” project, FoodMap received Shopee’s maximum support in promoting Vietnamese agricultural products, particularly those with OCOP and VietGAP certifications, to e-commerce users through trendy live sales on Shopee Live.
The enterprise was able to collaborate with over 20 renowned KOLs (key opinion leaders) to conduct livestreams in the studio, organize visits to distribution warehouses, demonstrate the harvesting process firsthand, and promote the initiative through press and social media. This generated effective publicity and stimulated demand for Vietnamese agricultural products in a relatable way, reaching a wide audience, especially younger customers who are familiar with technology.
Early in 2024, FoodMap was also selected by the platform to participate in the “Tet Vietnamese Agricultural Product Sales Race” livestream series, alongside many reputable agricultural product distributors across the country. As a result of the live session on January 15th, the enterprise’s revenue grew by an impressive 10 times compared to an average day.
Notably, Shopee has sponsored all FoodMap livestream sessions, providing promotional packages such as discount vouchers, free shipping, reward coins, flash sales, and auctions, in addition to any incentives offered by the seller. These strategies effectively retained viewers’ attention and increased order conversion rates.
These promotional and demand-generating activities for agricultural products significantly contributed to FoodMap’s business performance in 2023, boosting the enterprise’s total revenue by five times compared to the same period in 2022.
The impressive sales results and recognition from farmers are positive indications that encourage more traditional businesses to invest in livestreaming agricultural products on Shopee Live. They also provide a foundation for Shopee to expand the project’s scope in 2024, continuing to promote the value and widely distribute Vietnam’s diverse products to a vast consumer base.
