ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to prepare a comprehensive policy for offering easy loans to farmers, especially those with small and medium-scale agricultural operations.
Chairing a high-level meeting on Thursday to review agriculture development and agri-financing plans, the prime minister said that farmers with less than 12 acres of land should be prioritised for modern agricultural facilities and financial support.
He asked officials to present a detailed plan by the end of this month for providing easy loans and updating the agri-financing system according to modern needs.
“The progress of Pakistan is closely tied to the growth of agriculture and value addition in agri-products,” he said.
The prime minister emphasised that the policy should also support farmers in acquiring modern equipment, artificial intelligence tools, and quality seeds. He further called for planning to help farmers access small-scale industrial machinery to process their produce into export-quality goods.
He said the government is speeding up reforms to ensure the availability of advanced agricultural equipment, better irrigation methods, on-farm small industries, and training to boost exports of processed produce.
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A detailed briefing was given on ongoing agricultural reforms, the performance of Agricultural Development Bank Limited (ADBL), and the current loan schemes for farmers.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Ahad Khan Cheema and Rana Tanveer Hussain, Advisor Muhammad Ali, State Ministers Bilal Azhar Kiani and Abdul Rehman Kanju, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmed, Chief Coordinator Musharraf Zaidi, and other senior officials.
