Agricultural credit disbursement by banks rose by 15.29% on a year-on-year basis to Rs 223.845 billion in the first ten months (July-April) of the current fiscal year (2011-12).
Credit disbursement by five commercial banks including Allied Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, MCB Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank Limited amounted to Rs 120.415 billion in July-April, 2012 compared with Rs 107.720 billion disbursements in July-April, 2011 representing an increase of Rs 12.695 billion or 11.79%. Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited disbursed a total of Rs 43.906 billion in July-April, 2012, an increase of 0.51% when compared with its Rs. 43.681 billion disbursement for the same period of the last fiscal year. Punjab Provincial Co-operative Bank Limited disbursed Rs 6.352 billion in July-April, 2012, an increase of 39.81% compared to Rs 4.543 billion disbursed in the same period of the last fiscal year.
Fourteen domestic private banks also loaned an aggregate amount of Rs44.143 billion in July-April, 2012, an increase of 15.52% compared with Rs 38.213 billion disbursement in the same period of the last fiscal year. Five microfinance banks including Khushhali Bank Ltd., NRSP Microfinance Bank Ltd., The First Microfinance Bank Ltd., Pak Oman Microfinance Bank Ltd. and Tameer Microfinance Bank Ltd. disbursed a total of Rs 9.030 billion in July-April, 2012 period. In an unprecedented move, the central bank has fixed an indicative target of Rs 12.20 billion to microfinance banks for disbursement of credit to the agriculture sector during the current fiscal year. The State Bank has set an indicative agricultural credit disbursement target of Rs 285 billion for the current fiscal year.
