Marginal farmers get Tk 38.1 crore special credit

Bank, Money and finance is generally related with capitalists people. But marginal people are always kept away from these things. Hundreds of marginal farmers across the country received Taka 38.1 crore special credits at as low as 2 percent rate of interest.

State-owned Sonali, Janata, Agrani, Rupali, Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) and Rasjhai Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) disbursed the loan in the past eight months under a special credit programme of Bangladesh Bank (BB).

The central bank last year announced the Special Agriculture Credit at 2 percent rate of interest for the farmers who seldom get institutional financial support to grow some non-traditional but essential crops like pulses, oil seeds, onion, ginger, turmeric and mage.

Accordingly, the central bank also arranged a special fund of
Taka 96 crore for disbursing among the farmers this year who need
cash support to grow the crop.

The six public banks until February 17 disbursed Taka 38.1
crore among the farmers, which was 39.67 percent higher than the
target of this period.

Of the total credit, BKB disbursed the highest amount of Taka
13.36 crore followed by Agrani Bank, Taka 8.23 crore, Sonali
Bank, Taka 7.43 crore, Janata Bank, Taka 6 crore, RAKUB, Taka
2.99 crore and Rupali Bank, Taka 7.98 lakh.

A recent BB survey showed significant down trend in the
prices of spices on their bumper productions, supported by the
affordable credits of the central bank.

According to the survey conducted in January this year,
prices of onion decreased by 30 percent, ginger by 22.22 percent
and turmeric by 6.06 percent.

BB Governor Dr Atiur Rahman told a conference of the
marginal farmers this month in Bandarban that they would get
continuous support from the banking system to make country self
reliant for spices and pulses as well as for major food grains.

DHAKA, Feb 28 (BSS)