Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed immediate reforms aimed at simplifying and expanding access to low-cost agricultural loans for small and medium-scale farmers, describing the step as vital for boosting farm productivity and ensuring economic dignity for the country’s rural backbone.
While chairing a high-level review meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister stressed the importance of supporting small farmers with respect and dignity, particularly in facilitating their access to affordable credit. According to a news release from the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz Sharif underscored that agricultural loans must be made more accessible to those most in need.
“Small-scale farmers face immense challenges in securing low-cost loans,” said the prime minister. “Providing them with easier access to affordable credit is among the government’s top priorities.”
To this end, the prime minister instructed the relevant authorities to expedite reforms within Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), while also calling on private banks to step up and offer concessional loans to the agricultural sector on simplified and farmer-friendly terms.
He further announced that he would personally chair review meetings every three weeks to oversee the progress of loan facilitation measures and the ongoing reform process at ZTBL. The prime minister reaffirmed his administration’s broader commitment to agricultural development and the empowerment of small farmers through institutional support, financial inclusion, and concrete, actionable reforms.
During the meeting, senior officials briefed the prime minister on the current state of reforms underway at ZTBL, the bank’s overall performance, and strategies under consideration to improve agricultural lending practices. The discussions also focused on the role of private financial institutions in expanding credit disbursement within the agricultural sector.
The meeting was attended by several senior members of the federal cabinet and other top officials, including Federal Ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ahsan Iqbal, the Prime Minister’s Advisors Muhammad Ali and Haroon Akhtar, Ministers of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and Abdul Rehman Kanju, Governor State Bank of Pakistan Jameel Ahmad, Member of the National Assembly Iftikhar Nazir, and the Prime Minister’s Coordinator Musharraf Zaidi, among others.
