ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research met here Friday to discuss the total budget allocation of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) for loan to the farmers for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15.
The meeting of committee which held under the chairmanship of Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, MNA also discussed the province-wise budget allocation of the said financial year and recommendations and consideration for the lowest mark-up on loans to the farmers by the ZTBL.
The President ZTBL apprised the committee that the bank was the premier financial institution geared toward the development of agriculture sector.
ZTBL is providing the largest institutional agricultural credit disbursement i.e. 77.9 billion which is the 20 percent of total agricultural loans in the country.
The committee recommended that the administrative expenses of ZTBL may be curtailed to maximum extent which would be great relief to the farmers.
The committee also strongly recommended that the budget allocation for ZTBL may be increased considering the precarious situation of agriculture sector.
It was also suggested that the soft loans may be provided for fruit farming especially in the Northern Areas of the country.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, Chaudhry Nazeer Ahmed, Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir, Sayed Essa Nori, Syed Iftikhar-ul Hassan, Shahnaz Saleem, Pir Muhammad Aslam Bodla, Khalida Mansoor, Pir Shafqat Hussain Jilani, Junaid Akbar, Dr Fouzia Hameed and Muhammad Salmab Khan Baloch, besides Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, Chairmen of PARC, NARC and ZTBL.
