Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) is living up to its mantra as Pakistan’s leading agribusiness bank. The Bank has developed an e-credit scheme to effectively use farming pathway for poverty alleviation and local economic development. The scheme, in collaboration with the Government of Punjab, is designed to provide subsidy on markup to farmers on timely repayment of loan.

Under the scheme, farmers having land ownership ranging from 2.5 acres up to 12.5 acres are being served, and the disbursement of loan is made to farmers through open mobile wallets of telcos linked with the Assan Account.

ZTBL has been successfully running the scheme in the province of Punjab. To date Rs. 4,451.354 million has been disbursed with satisfactory recovery rate of 96% for Rabi (winter) season in 2016-17. The scheme will be available for Rabi (winter) and Kkarif (summer) crops for five (5) years from 2016-17 to 2020-21.

This ZTBL e-credit scheme has been enabling farmers to modernize their agri-production techniques in accordance with the present day practices to enhance yields, improve storage facilities, and have better access to markets nationwide. It is also helping in the acceleration of agri-development through enhanced production, agri-risk mitigation, reducing cost of production in particular and financial inclusion of farmers and poverty reduction in general in the province of Punjab. The Bank has been expecting for more farmers to avail loans under this scheme in the future which will strengthens local farming fraternity and improved local and national economic development.

ZTBL’s “E-Credit Scheme” received a Merit Award in the 2018 ADFIAP Outstanding Project Award under the technology development category.