Nieuwsbericht18-03-2026 | 05:57
In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, ShrimpTechVietnam, a consortium supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and partners including Nutreco Vietnam, ShrimpVet, Delta Farms, TipTopp Aquaculture, Viqon, RYNAN Smart Aquaculture, OpenAsia, and Larive International, has published a new study on access to finance for shrimp farmers. The report maps the financing landscape for farmers seeking to invest in net-zero and high-tech farming systems, and identifies practical pathways to unlock capital at scale.
Beeld: © EKN Hanoi
A shrimp farmer in the Mekong Delta.
Vietnam’s shrimp sector needs capital and faces barriers
Vietnam is the world’s third-largest shrimp exporter, producing over 1.2 million metric tons per year. Smallholder farmers account for approximately 80% of total output. Over recent decades, the sector has shifted from traditional low-yield methods, at 5–10 MT per hectare, to intensive and super-intensive systems reaching 40–50 MT per hectare.
Beeld: © ShrimpTech Vietnam
This transition requires significant investment. Adopting innovations such as Biofloc or Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) costs approximately USD 40,000–120,000 per hectare for pond lining, filtration, and automation. Yet for the majority of farmers, accessing formal loans for these investments remains out of reach.
The core barriers are three-fold: legal status, collateral, and repayment capacity. Most mid-sized farmers (operating 1–5 hectares) are registered as sole proprietorships. This limits their borrowing capacity and results in interest rates 0.5–1% higher than enterprise-registered businesses. Many also farm on leased land, leaving them without the collateral banks require. And with volatile shrimp prices and often informal financial records, demonstrating stable cash flow is a persistent challenge.
The financing landscape: formal and non-traditional channels
The Vietnamese banking system, through state-owned banks such as Agribank and BIDV, and private banks including Nam A Bank and Sacombank, remains the primary formal financing channel for aquaculture. The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) directs preferential credit programs to the Agro-Forestry-Fishery sector and green finance initiatives.
Three main loan types are available to shrimp farms:
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Standard loans — for working capital (short-term, under 12 months) and capital expenditure (CapEx, 1–5+ years). Interest rates range from 8.2–9.7% for enterprises and 8.7–9.7% for sole proprietorships.
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Agro-Forestry-Fishery preferential loans — at 6.7% (+2% mark-up), available to both legal statuses and applicable across working capital and CapEx needs. This program was expanded from USD 3.7 billion to USD 7 billion in 2025.
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Green Finance preferential loans — at 5.7–6.7%, applicable only to CapEx investments in renewable energy or clean technology. Agribank disbursed approximately USD 1.2 billion under this scheme between 2022–2025.
Beyond formal banks, microfinance institutions such as TYM and VietED offer accessible but small loans, typically capped at USD 2,000–4,000 per household, suited to working capital needs, not large CapEx investments.
Recent policy progress opens new doors
A significant reform came into force in July 2025. Decree 156/2025/NĐ-CP substantially raised unsecured loan thresholds: farm owners can now access up to USD 120,000 without asset security (up from USD 40,000), and cooperatives up to USD 200,000 (up from USD 80,000–120,000). The decree also strengthened value-chain-based lending, benefiting farms with guaranteed offtake contracts.
From January 2026, a new Ministry of Finance decision (Decision 3389/QĐ-BTC) encourages sole proprietors with annual revenues exceeding approximately USD 113,000 for two consecutive years to transition to enterprise status. This is expected to accelerate the formalization of mid-sized shrimp farms, improving their access to larger investment loans and preferential credit packages.
Beeld: © ShrimpTech Vietnam
Route to finance: making mid-sized farmers bankable
The study identifies a clear pathway for mid-sized farmers to transition from sole proprietorship to enterprise status and access preferential and green finance. The key steps include:
• Legal status transition — formal enterprise registration, supported by legal specialists and local banks.
• Financial management — establishing accounting systems compliant with SME requirements, including VAT invoicing and quarterly financial statements.
• Documentation for green finance — including sustainable production records, environmental data, and Power Purchase Agreements for renewable energy installations.
• Loan transfer — migrating existing sole proprietorship loans and collateral to the new enterprise entity.
The report recommends a combined approach of workshops and farm-level green consultancy, covering certification readiness, renewable energy feasibility, and traceability documentation, bringing together banks, legal specialists, certification bodies, and smart-farm solution providers.
Beeld: © EKN Hanoi
What this means for the sector
The study makes clear that the financing gap is not permanent. Regulatory reforms are improving the conditions for shrimp farmers to become bankable. Green finance, in particular, represents a compelling entry point: farms investing in solar energy, water recycling, or certified sustainable production are increasingly eligible for the most favorable lending terms available in Vietnam today.
For the ShrimpTechVietnam consortium, addressing access to finance is inseparable from the broader net-zero transition. Without capital, farmers cannot adopt the technologies needed for sustainable, internationally competitive production. This study provides the sector, farmers, banks, government agencies, and development partners, with a practical roadmap.