Banks surpass agri-lending targets

Banks' financing to the agriculture sector soared 13 per cent year-on-year to Tk 28,391 crore in the fiscal year 2021-22, exceeding their targets set by Bangladesh Bank.

The funds went to fisheries, livestock and crop producers as well as income-generating activities in rural areas to reduce poverty, according to the central bank.

Some 33 lakh farmers got loans in the fiscal year 2021-22 that ended in June.

For the fiscal year 2022-23, the Bangladesh Bank has set a Tk 30,911 crore loan disbursement target for banks, up 9 per cent from the previous year. 

Banks will have to provide loans to the farm sector and rural areas on a priority basis, said the central bank.