€10 million for Latvian and Lithuanian farmers – LANDE secures EIF guarantee

At a time when Latvian and Lithuanian farmers are in urgent need of alternative and flexible financing solutions, the agricultural lending platform LANDE has signed a guarantee agreement with the European Investment Fund (EIF) to support a loan portfolio of up to €10 million. The initiative aims to significantly improve access to finance for small and medium-sized farmers across Latvia and Lithuania. The EIF guarantee will cover up to 80% of the credit risk on loans of up to €50,000, which will now be made available without the need for hard collateral.

The finalised arrangement is particularly timely as many farms face liquidity pressures. This summer in agriculture proved exceptionally challenging — unpredictable weather and prolonged rains caused significant yield losses across many regions in Latvia, especially in Latgale and Vidzeme and in Lithuania as well. Insurance often proved insufficient to cover losses, making it clear that many farmers urgently need additional funding to maintain operations and future development plans.

Climate change and market volatility require re-evaluating traditional financing models. The EIF agreement represents a strategic advancement in delivering flexible and accessible financial solutions to support farmers both in times of crisis and for long-term growth.

The EIF guarantee programme enables LANDE to significantly reduce interest rates and expand its client base — including small farms that previously could not access financing without collateral or other security.

“This represents a key shift in the financing landscape for agriculture. With this guarantee programme, farmers who previously lacked sufficient collateral — such as land, equipment, or stored grain — will now be able to access funding, and on improved terms. This will enable greater investment in innovation, technology uptake and overall competitiveness,” Haralds Neimanis, Regional Manager for the Baltics. 

LANDE’s founder and CEO, Ņikita Gončars, emphasises that the company’s mission is to strengthen the accessibility of agricultural finance across Europe by offering modern and tailored loan solutions to farms. “This season has shown how vulnerable the agricultural sector can be — particularly small and medium-sized farms that lack access to traditional bank financing. The EIF guarantee is a vital complement to existing national and EU support instruments, enabling us to reach an even broader range of farms. It allows us to respond swiftly and extend support to entrepreneurial farmers who are the backbone of rural economies across the region,” he adds.

LANDE has signed the agreement under the InvestEU programme, which aims to support sustainable investment, foster innovation, and strengthen economic and social cohesion. 

“Our aim is to bridge the gap between the needs of small farmers and the financing options available in regional markets. It is the first time we are partnering with LANDE, and we are confident this collaboration will generate the type of financing that is needed to ensure a very real and tangible impact,” said Marjut Falkstedt, EIF Chief Executive.

About LANDE

LANDE is a leading alternative lending platform dedicated to agricultural finance across the Baltic states and wider Europe. It provides farmers with fast and reliable access to funding while enabling investors to participate in the growth of the agricultural sector. Founded in 2020 by Nikita Goncars, LANDE today operates in four countries, unites more than 9,000 investors across the EU, and has financed over 1,500 projects worth more than €40 million.

About the EIF 

The European Investment Fund is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by helping them access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments that specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF furthers key EU policy objectives such as competitiveness and growth, innovation and digitalisation, social impact, skills and human capital, climate action and environmental sustainability, and more. In Estonia, commercial banks such as Swedbank, SEB, LHV, Luminor, and Citadele have previously entered into similar agreements with EIF.

About InvestEU programme

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investments for the European Union’s policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.