Farm projects grab top honours at annual green startup competition
Farm projects grab top honours at annual green startup competition
A project that makes a range of nutritious cassava-based baked goods by Mai Tuấn Anh of HCM City won the first prize of VNĐ60 million (US$2,373) at the final round of the Green Startup and Sustainable Development Projects/Ideas Competition 2024 in group A (for projects under one year).
A project that makes nutritious cassava-based baked goods from HCM City wins the first prize in group A (for projects under one year old) in the Green Startup and Sustainable Development Projects/Ideas Competition 2024 in HCM City on November 11. — Photo Trần Quỳnh |
The Cusami project’s products are made from fresh cassava grown in HCM City’s Củ Chi District, and are rich in slowly digestible starch and gluten-free ingredients, making them ideal for those on weight loss diets or with diabetes, celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
They include cassava-salted egg yolk lava cakes and savoury beef and cheese-filled treats that are made to HACCP standards.
Anh said Cusami aspires to promote a healthy lifestyle that enables customers to eat well but stay fit through nutritious meal options.
In group B (projects in operation for over one year), a two-member team from Đồng Tháp Province clinched the top spot with their project titled “Enhancing the value of kumquats, pomelos and soursop,” taking home the first prize of VNĐ150 million ($5,940).
A two-member team from Đồng Tháp Province wins the first prize in group B for “Enhancing the value of kumquats, pomelos, and soursop” project. — Photo Trần Quỳnh |
The final round of the competition took place in HCM City on November 9 and 10 with 36 ideas/ projects from 26 provinces and cities, including some by youths from rural ethnic communities such as the Dao, Mông, Mường, Nùng, Tày, Thái, and Raglai.
The jury also awarded two second and third prizes each in group A and two second and three third prizes in group B in addition to other awards to outstanding projects.
A jury member, economist Phạm Chi Lan, said the finalists this year had made very good preparations to cover crucial aspects like utilising native resources, focusing on community value, environmental protection, and using advanced technology.
They paid attention to the feasibility and commercialisation potential of their products, their target customers and other market factors, she said.
Organised by the High Quality Vietnamese Goods Business Association, the Business Studies and Assistance Centre (BSA), Vinamit, and Trung Nguyên Legend, the 10th edition of the contest carried prizes worth nearly VNĐ1 billion ($39,680) including training and trade promotion programmes.
Vũ Kim Anh, deputy director of the BSA and head of the organising committee, said the centre had increasingly collaborated with experts, businesses, and organisations at home and abroad to provide more support to projects in the green startup ecosystem.
The linkages and support after the competition through various means had enabled green startups to establish themselves firmly in the domestic market, she said.
"The competition is also a stepping stone for many young people who have won high prizes in start-up competitions to export to international markets with high quality requirements.
“They are truly on the path to becoming agripreneurs, taking highly processed Vietnamese agricultural products to many parts of the world."
Over 11 years of organising the "Green Startup" programme, BSA has built a nationwide startup ecosystem.
The event has achieved impressive milestones so far, with 2,341 contestants with 1,560 projects from 62 provinces taking part and over 300 awards being given.
Nearly 30 per cent of the ideas from the competition have been realised, creating practical value for communities, especially in remote, mountainous areas with large ethnic populations.
