I. INTRODUCTION

Agro-businesses ( mainly small and medium enterprises) are dealing with inadequate accessibility to market information, especially market analysis and forecast information. This is a major difficulty that small and medium enterprises in rural and agriculture sector are facing when the economy is increasingly integrated regionally and worldwide.

Although information on agricultural and rural policy is presently publicized widely on mass media or under different forms at both central and local levels. The information focuses mainly on dissemination of new policies, introduction of policy beneficiaries, timeframe and location for implementation in a top-down approach. Feedback on policy implementation are mainly from some organizations or individuals instead of the wide range of policy beneficiaries .

Meanwhile, in some policy advisory unis like the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, policy researchers have carried out many studies related to methodical and qualified policies supporting medium and small enterprises in rural areas. These studies have not been widely disseminated.

In order to support the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas of Vietnam, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved the five-year project "Research on policy proposals to support medium and small businesses in the agriculture and rural sector in the 2006-2010 period, "sponsored by Spain and assigned Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development. In particular, one of objectives in the current phase is to strengthen information communication capacity to support development of SMEs in agriculture and rural sector.

The project supports the Information Center for Agriculture and Rural Development for being the linkage and collection point for market information resources and support policies for SMEs in agriculture and rural sector from and outside IPSARD as well as being a linkage with the media in promoting effective and efficient communication to interested partners.

To perform this task, the Center is recruiting a information consulting team the following requirements.

II. MAIN TASKS

• Searching for user approaching strategies and information consultancy in the world

• Identify target user groups for market information products and information consultancy, etc. from internet, forum, the media ...
• Develop strategy for customers approaching, customer care, feedback collection and exploring customers’ new demands (especially focusing on small and medium enterprises)
• Develop a detailed operational plan to effectively implement user approaching strategies
• Develop and strengthen relationships with related stakeholders to develop market information network, disseminate communication programs and enterprise support activities of the projects and IPSARD
• Regularly collect feedback, receiving new demands of customers and propose new products accordingly.
• Provide consultancy for orienting market information products and for commodity experts in other agricultural sector.
• Monitor the performance of the proposed plans and make the timely adjustments.

III. PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• At least master degree majors on Marketing, Economics, Commerce, Foreign Trade, Finance, Development Economics, Agricultural Economics
• Have fundamental basic knowledge on the society, economics and corporate finance (domestic and foreign)
• Understand the market and polices of agricultural products
• Ability to analyze data using basic analysis tools: Excel, SPSS, Stata
• Ability to analyze and make commodity forecasts

IV. TIME-FRAME AND LOCATION

Experts will work from 15 August 2010 to 15 August 2011 at Information Center for Agriculture and Rural Development - No. 16 Thuy Khue - Hanoi.

V. BUDGET

The expert will enjoy the monthly salary based on the EU-UN cost norm, with insurance and income tax included.