Enhance the capacity building of applying e-commerce in agriculture of Mekong region

E-commerce is believed to have the potential to increase profitability in agricultural markets by increasing sales and decreasing search and transactions costs. Hence, the business community and governments of Mekong region is in need of raising awareness on the application of e-commerce in agriculture. In order to recognize the barriers for the development of agricultural e-commerce in Mekong region, a research on the readiness of ICT and legal infrastructure will be implemented. The agribusinesses are facing common agricultural challenges, including weak access to effective advisory services, market information asymmetries, lack of access to market. Therefore, the two-day workshop is designed to give agribusinesses operations and governments an overview of the basic concepts and options for agricultural products The workshop will invite experts to provide information on the readiness of e-commerce in the region and aspects of agricultural e-commerce. The workshops will also feature presentations from successful agribusinesses in ASIA who use e-commerce to market their products and improve their operating efficiencies.  In addition to the presenting sessions, the workshop includes a tour of a local agribusiness that uses e-commerce to sell and distribute locally produced foods to retail and wholesale customers in the Vietnam. Agriculture is a specific economic sector, characterized by fragmented production with no substantial communication between farmers, processors and consumers. It is the application of communication models developed for using on the Internet that can bridge this gap. Thus, the farmers usually have the difficulties in reaching market for their products. Therefore, the project team will work directly with the focal point on trade promotion of each country in order to select agricultural products to promote in popular Korean e-commerce websites/e-marketplaces. Read more...