Sustainability of the Sugar Value Chain: An Emerging Country Perspective

In recent decades, building a resilient and inclusive agricultural sector has become a major concern of many countries, particularly an emerging country like Vietnam. This paper seeks to analyze the sustainability of the Vietnamese sugar value chain through an integrated framework of the triple bottom line and value chain theory. The metrics for value chain sustainability were derived and modified from existing literature to create a three-dimensional analysis framework comprising 26 items. Data for analysis were obtained through a self-administered survey involving ten stakeholder groups within the Vietnamese sugar value chain. After six months, 473 valid responses were obtained. The analysis utilized SPSS software. Our findings indicate that stakeholder groups evaluate the economic sustainability of the sugar value chain at a lower score during the input stage, with average values of observed variables between 3.27 and 3.76, compared to the production and output stages, which have mean values ranging from 3.57 to 3.97. Furthermore, all stakeholder groups within the sugar value chain possess a favorable perspective on its social sustainability. Our research indicates that distributors and suppliers, who are not directly involved in the sugar production process, receive higher assessment ratings than other groups, with average values ranging from 3.90 to 4.13, in terms of environmental sustainability throughout the value chain. The findings provide methods to enhance the sustainability of the sugar value chain in Vietnam, necessitating the active participation of local government, sugar mills, and sugarcane growers.