Accompanying businesses to develop agricultural processing industry

Workers at Hoang Nam Phat Cooperative participate in packaging clean agricultural products.

Removing barriers step by step

Viet Truong Co., Ltd., located in Do Son ward, specializes in producing frozen seafood products for the domestic market and exporting to the US and several countries in Europe and Asia. In 2024, the company's total domestic and export sales reached US$25 million (equivalent to VND 630 billion). In 2025, the company aims to increase total revenue by 10% compared to the previous year.

However, the obstacle to expanding the company's export market stems from the source of raw materials. Specifically, the company aims to boost exports of frozen tilapia to the US market, but currently, tilapia farms, mainly located in the western part of Hai Phong, do not meet the requirements regarding antibiotic residue levels. The company's leadership expressed their hope that relevant departments, agencies, and farmers would cooperate to resolve these issues so that the company can have an abundant supply of raw materials in the future, meeting the needs of customers worldwide .

Not only seafood processing businesses, but also agricultural processing units share this concern. Hoang Nam Phat Cooperative, located in Nam An Phu commune (western Hai Phong ), currently collaborates with many local farmers to supply products such as cabbage, kohlrabi, and cauliflower for export to South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, as well as for the domestic market. The cooperative is facing some difficulties in testing for pesticide residue in its products.

The reason is that the unit's technology and machinery are not modern enough to accurately detect excessive levels of active ingredients in a timely manner. Mr. Ho Viet Hoang, Director of Hoang Nam Phat Cooperative, requested preferential loans to enable the unit to invest in more modern equipment for its agricultural production and processing line.

In support of businesses in overcoming difficulties, speaking at the Local Dialogue Session - Red River Delta Cluster, within the framework of the Vietnam Private Sector Economic Forum 2025 (VPSF 2025), held at the end of August in Hai Phong, Mr. Tran Van Quan, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong City People's Committee, along with representatives from relevant departments and agencies and experts, directly answered, exchanged, and clarified the opinions, suggestions, and concerns of local businesses.

The Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee affirmed that, in the coming time, the city's authorities at all levels are committed to continuing to strongly improve the investment environment, gradually removing barriers, and creating the most favorable conditions for businesses to develop and integrate into the economy.

Workers at Viet Truong Co., Ltd. are involved in processing seafood for export.

Agricultural credit is growing.

Besides the efforts of each business and the city government, credit institutions and banks are also actively involved in supporting businesses with capital, specifically by accelerating disbursement for the agricultural sector. According to the State Bank of Vietnam Region 6 (Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province), as of the end of August 2025, credit to the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector grew strongly by double digits at 23.53% compared to the end of 2024, accounting for 4.46% of the total outstanding credit in the region. Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung, Acting Director of the State Bank of Vietnam Region 6, informed that from dozens of meetings and dialogues between banks and businesses organized by the unit in August, banks are expected to lend more than 3.1 trillion VND to 192 businesses; restructuring repayment terms, reducing interest rates, reducing fees, etc., to contribute to supporting businesses in their production and business processes, aiming for sustainable development.

Viet Truong Co., Ltd. currently has outstanding loans totaling over 300 billion VND from several banks in the city, including Agribank, Vietinbank, SHB, VCB, MBB, etc., with the largest loan coming from Agribank's Hai Phong branch. Mr. Ngo Viet Truong, Director of Viet Truong Co., Ltd., stated that the timely support from the banks has significantly reduced the financial pressure. Specifically, the company expects to settle all debts by 2026. However, after discussions, the banks and the company agreed to extend the repayment period and restructure the debt, ensuring no bad or overdue debts remain. The company's principal and interest payments have been extended until the end of 2028.

According to Mr. Le Van Viet, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong Young Entrepreneurs Association, small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing difficulties such as a lack of capital, technology, and high-quality human resources, making it difficult for them to participate in large supply chains and international markets. In the coming time, the association will continue to closely coordinate with over 500 members to address these obstacles, including gradually improving the quality of agricultural processing products in the city.

By implementing a range of synchronized solutions, including maximizing the advantages of modern logistics infrastructure through inland container depots (ICDs), cold storage, and dry storage facilities to ensure good preservation of agricultural products, Hai Phong aims to become a locality with integrated industrial and agricultural economic development, hoping to bring the city's high-quality agricultural products to a wider international market.

AN PHUC

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/dong-hanh-doanh-nghiep-phat-trien-cong-nghiep-che-bien-nong-san-520305.html