AN APPETITE FOR E-COMMERCE

Trade and E-commerce
A Facebook search on Healthy and Happy Organic Farm (H2O) redirects to a page that speaks for itself—a basket of greens with hints of yellow, purple and red; vermicompost beds lined-up with egg shells and coconut husks; cultivation rows roofed by solar panels; and faces of their veg-loving superheroes. With a people-planet-profit principle, the small-scale organic family farm has tapped on digital platforms to innovate ways of doing business.
“The e-commerce training program could not have come at a better time,” says Mr. Than Win Aung, Chief Executive Officer of H2O. He shares that H2O’s Facebook page was set-up just days shy of the modular training program on Rural E-commerce Development in Lancang-Mekong Countries in October 2018. Organized by Mekong Institute, with support from the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund and in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, the training program equipped participants on the trends in rural e-commerce, legislation and best practices, key development factors and business models, tools and techniques in rural e-commerce, and delivery and transaction management of rural e-commerce and cross-border e-commerce. Drawing on these concepts, Mr. Aung conducted market research wherein he identified a more formal category of e-commerce that will enable wider accessibility and increased sales.

Earlier this year, we have registered to Zay Chin to provide consumers online grocery shopping with free delivery,” he adds. This strategy, according to him, poses huge potential in boosting H2O’s current distribution to food and beverage businesses, hotel chains, farmer outlets and weekend markets in Myanmar.

Not only did Mr. Aung upgrade his own business but more importantly, he leveraged on MI’s training program as an opportunity for knowledge transfer and intersectoral collaboration through a series of trainings and workshops.
One of which involved addressing a 190-strong crowd at the National Workshop on Rural E-commerce Development in Myanmar, co-organized by his fellow MI alumni. At an even broader scale, Mr. Aung remains committed to promoting rural e-commerce development in his stint as vice president of the E-commerce Association of Myanmar. The association sets out to harness the digital economy through information-sharing and capacity building on e-commerce, guided by the collective voice of SMEs, e-commerce service providers, logistics service providers and e-commerce related institutions in the country.
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Mrs. Guohua Liu

Director, Sustainable Energy & Environment (SEE) Department

Mrs. Liu Guohua is the Director of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Department at the Mekong Institute. Prior to this role, she worked in the Department of International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, where she played a key role in shaping and implementing China’s cooperation strategies with UN development agencies. During this time, Mrs. Liu was actively involved in advancing initiatives related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on climate change and green development. Additionally, she contributed to the evaluation of projects funded by various Chinese initiatives, such as the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund, etc.

In addition to her work in the Department of International Economic Affairs, Mrs. Liu has an extensive diplomatic background. She spent 7 years in the Department of African Affairs, followed by a 4-year tenure at the Chinese Embassy in Lao PDR, where she gained deep expertise in both Southeast Asian and African affairs. These diverse experiences have played a crucial role in shaping her approach to sustainable development and international collaboration, particularly in building regional partnerships and tackling global challenges like climate change.

She holds a Master’s degree in Economics, with a specialization in Finance, from the Central University of Finance and Economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, specializing in International Economics and Trade, from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.