Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to ease access to soft loans for small and medium-scale farmers. Chairing a meeting in Islamabad today on facilitating agricultural loans, he emphasized that farmers with small landholdings must be treated with respect and dignity to boost agricultural productivity.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister noted that small farmers face significant challenges in securing low-cost loans. He reiterated that providing affordable financing to meet their agricultural needs remains one of the government’s top priorities. He also instructed the swift implementation of reforms to enhance the performance of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL).

Additionally, he directed that private banks be encouraged to offer low-cost loans to small-scale farmers on favorable terms. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that he will personally chair a meeting every three weeks to review progress on loan provision initiatives through ZTBL.

The meeting included briefings on ZTBL’s ongoing reforms, current performance, and future strategy. Private sector banks also presented updates on their agricultural loan programs. Several proposals were discussed to improve ZTBL’s efficiency and expand access to agricultural financing.