Start-ups introduce their products on the sidelines of a conference introducing the 2024 Green Entrepreneurship Contest in HCM City on March 21. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

HCM CITY — The Center for Business Studies and Assistance and the Business Association of High Quality Vietnamese Goods launched the 2024 Green Entrepreneurship Contest in HCM City on March 21.

Running until the end of October, the 10th edition of the contest is open to individuals, collectives, enterprises, and co-operatives nationwide in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fishery, food processing technology, biotechnology, and agricultural and community tourism, or those operating climate smart livelihood models, circular economy and social impact business models or projects that preserve and add value to local resources.

The contest is divided into two groups. Group A is for individuals/teams that have launched sample products on the market and have been operating for less than one year, while Group B is for individuals and teams from cooperatives and companies that have commercialised their products and services and have been operating for more than one year but less than five years.

From now until July 26, the organisers will bring in leading experts in technology, local resources, marketing and other areas to provide training on various topics to discover and support potential contestants to complete their business plans so they can participate in the contest.

Training will also be provided to contestants entering the semi-final and final rounds of the contest.

The semi-final round will be held in September in the three places with the largest number of contestants, and the final in October in HCM City.

The contest has total prizes worth VNĐ760 million (US$30,691), including VNĐ210 million in cash.

Vũ Kim Hạnh, director of the BSA Center and chairwoman of the Business Association of High Quality Vietnamese Goods, said the contest this year would also organise seminars and workshops to share knowledge, experiences, and market opportunities to start-ups.

The Green Entrepreneurship Programme is designed to support young people to develop their business capabilities in the agricultural and food sectors, strengthening a class of entrepreneurs towards green economy and sustainable development and encouraging innovation among them, according to Hạnh.

After nearly 11 years, the programme has built a start-up ecosystem throughout the country, with nearly 1,000 start-up models.

It has created a generation of young agri-preneurs who effectively exploit indigenous resources, develop prominent products that are good for health, protect the environment, and make a significant contribution to creating jobs in rural, urban and remote areas.

These entrepreneurs have always fostered innovation and creativity towards developing sustainable agriculture and focused on implementing good agricultural practice standards to stand firm in the market and attract investment. — VNS