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 is mainly from some organizations or individuals instead of the wide range of policy beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, in some policy advisory agencies 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 project "Study on policy recommendations to support development of medium and small enterprises in the agriculture and rural sector" – phase 2&3 sponsored by Spain and assigned Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development. Besides activities aimed at improving research capacity of IPSARD’s staffs, exploiting its strength in research, under this Project, consulting activities in terms of action management, business management, information and communication always are paid attention.

            In order to effectively fulfill its task, the Project Management Board announces terms of reference for the experts in charge of business management, focusing on marketing, for the reason of reference and management thereof.

II.               OBJECTIVES

Determining demand and methods to transfer market informations to enterprises and groups of factor in agriculture and rural development sector; proposing strategy to develop database and information network of agricultural markets.

III.             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 ... ; first and foremost the information on coffee can be taken as the special focus
• Develop strategy for  customers approaching, customer care,  feedback collection and exploring customers’ new demands (especially focusing on enterprises in coffee sector)
• 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.

IV.             PRODUCTS

• One report on marketing strategy on products of market information. The report includes:
• Demand and methods to transfer information of agricultural markets to enteprises and groups of factors
• Strategy to access objects using information of agricultural markets, experiences learned from some other countries
• Plan to effectively promote marketing strategy for these information products
• Supporting researchers in charge of market information, analyzing information for quarterly reports on three key commodities: rice, aquaculture, coffee.  

V.                TIME-FRAME AND LOCATION

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

VI.             BUDGET

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

VII.          PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• At least master degree majors on Marketing, Economics, Commerce, Foreign Trade, Finance,  Development Economics, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture
• Having at least 10 years working and researching market information
• Have fundamental basic knowledge on the society, economics and corporate finance (domestic and foreign)

• Have deep experiences in agricultural commodity and marketing (priority is given to those have deep knowledge on coffee sector)
• Understand the market and polices of agricultural products