ISLAMABAD: The Finance Ministry has turned down the perception of stoppage of issuance of loans and credits to the people hailing from area of Swat.
A document submitted by the Finance Minister in the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue and available with this scribe here revealed that Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) had provided agricultural loans to farmers of these areas to the tune of Rs 569.688 million through 15 branches situated in the area in 2014. The ZTBL is dedicated to serve the needs of the farming community by delivering financial products and technical services on a competitive and sustainable basis, in a convenient, efficient and professional manner, leading to success of the Bank and the farmers.
The documents further said that ZTBL’s role was to augment national economic interest by serving the agriculturists of the country and play a leading role for sustainable growth through the network of 386 branches with the well trained 1303 Mobile Credit Officers across the country.
“The ZTBL is constantly endeavoring to modernize the dashboard which can reflect the outstanding quality and excellence and has designed its website to provide more interactive and user friendly online experience for our visitors so that online visitors can rightly expect the broad range of information regarding the services offered in physical environment as well as already familiar with the site will discover that every visit creates a new excitement, a range of business opportunities and guidelines through innovative products in agriculture sector” the documents revealed.
As per documents, areas wise and branch wise break up of amount lent by the bank to farmers of these areas was Rs 51.163 million were provided to farmers through bank’s branch situated in Mingora, Rs 76.540 million were granted as loan to applicants through Matta branch and Rs 29.156 million were lent through Bahrain branch as well as Rs 29.548 million were lent through Chakdara branch.
Similarly, an amount of Rs 12.321 million was lent to agriculturalists through Batkhela branch, Rs 39. 229million through Alpurai branch, Rs 37.578 million via Daggar branch, Rs 17.352 million through Dargai branch and Rs 19.713 million were provided as loan through Timergara branch.
The documents further disclosed that ZTBL had also provided an amount of Rs 18.973 million to farmers through Bajaur Ghar branch, Rs 20.122 million through Dir branch, Rs 82.552 million via Chitral branch, Rs 25. 266 million through Wari Joon branch, and Rs 92.235 million via Booni branch as well as Rs 17.942 million were lent to agriculturalists via Darosh branch.
The Pukhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai had also raised this issue on a point of order in the previous session and Speaker referred the issue towards the standing committee for further discussion.
However, the Finance Committee referred the issue to the sub committee headed by PML-N MNA Danyal Aziz for further discussion. Danyal Aziz told this scribe here that he would look into the matter and would prefer to recommend strict actions against financial institutions if found involved in denying provision of loans to people belonging to Swat areas which had been worst affected by the war on terror in the recent past.
It is pertinent to note here that though Swat is totally an agricultural zone, yet it’s per acre output is low. Some of the detrimental factors for the high yield include fragmentation, irregular Irrigation, the Lake of Manure and the Claims of Khans on mountains who stop tillers from growing crops.
However, wheat, oil seed, maize, rice, pulses, and vegetables, tomatoes and potatoes, onion, pumpkin, sugar cane, sugar beet, tobacco, melon and water melon are both conventional and cash crops grown in Spring Harvest, and Autumnal Harvest seasons in Swat.
