HÀ NỘI —
The European Union has allocated more than two million Euros for a project to
scale up ethical biotrade initiatives within the phyto-pharmaceutical
(plant-based) sector in Việt Nam.
The
four-year project is being carried out jointly by HELVETAS Swiss
Intercooperation, the National Institute of Medicinal Materials and the Centre
for Rural Economy Development. It aims to improve the ability of at least 12
pharmaceutical businesses in Việt Nam to supply quality ethical biotrade (EBT)
products to domestic and international markets.
Speaking
at a seminar held in Hà Nội yesterday, Alejandro Montalban, head of cooperation
and development section of the EU delegation to Việt Nam, said this project
marked an important milestone in the promotion of a sustainable ethical
biotrade business model within the natural ingredients sector of Việt Nam.
“We hope
to see the goal of making Việt Nam an internationally recognised supplier of
natural ingredients become visible and noticeable in the future,” Montalban
said.
Nguyễn
Lam Giang, country director for HELVETAS, said the project would also provide
businesses with a clean and safe resource of medicinal herbs for their
production and increase their competitiveness in domestic and international
markets.
She said
the project would involve some 5,000 smallholder farmers and relevant agencies
of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment.
“We
expect the project will increase the income of farmers through support for
effective implementation of ethical biotrade value chains, consolidation of
knowledge and skills in cultivating, harvesting and collecting, as well as the
processing of ingredients, all in a manner that respects biodiversity and
environmental protection,” Giang said.
Giang
said the project would contribute to scaling up of a policy framework under
favourable conditions for biotrade initiatives to boost sustainable consumption
and production development for the phyto-pharmaceutical sector in Việt Nam.
“The
businesses that are taking part in the project would receive financial and
technical support to apply and carry out the World Health Organisation’s Good
Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) for EBT medicinal herbs,” Giang
said.
Việt
Nam’s abundant natural ingredients could serve as a source of raw materials for
the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. However, the domestic supply
has been dwindling due to overexploitation and lack of conservation.
Manufacturers, as a consequence, have to import large quantities of raw
materials of questionable quality from other countries. The national
pharmaceutical sector, therefore, becomes vulnerable to foreign competition
even in its own market, let alone enabling it to penetrate international
markets.
Under the
project, the businesses will develop new EBT value chains for up to 50
different medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). MAPs will be cultivated to
reduce pressure on the natural habitats. Meanwhile, farmer groups will
propagate and harvest MAPs sustainably and optimise conservation and economic
returns of natural habitats.
The
producer network will gradually grow to reach some 140 groups by the end of the
project. This will generate new employment opportunities in uplands, add value
to the raw materials and increase the energy efficiency of value chains.
Nguyễn
Huy Văn, Deputy General Director of Traphaco Joint Stock Company, one of 12
businesses taking part in the project, said to Việt Nam News that using natural
ingredients for pharmaceutical production was the current trend in the world.
“Joining
in this project, which is association among farmers, State, businesses and
scientists, will help us businesses have access to WHO standards, especially
GACP for medicinal plants," said Văn.
He said
businesses and farmers would be trained to change their medicinal plants
growing process and receive counseling and support on processing facilities.
Farmer groups, especially women, will be empowered by the new know-how, trained
on green capital and introduced to financial institutes providing access to
green capital.
HELVETAS
says Việt Nam has more than 4,000 species which can be used as raw material;
some 95 per cent of traditional Vietnamese remedies, including over 1,760
medicinal products, rely on this natural resource base.
The
country produces up to 40,000 tonnes of raw medicinal material annually. In
addition, significant quantities are imported from foreign countries, even
though many of those plants species are available in Việt Nam.
Attending
the seminar were also leaders of the ministries of health, agriculture and
rural development, and industry and trade, in addition to representatives of
the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development, Vietnamese pharmaceutical businesses and partner localities.
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