The central bank has set Tk 309.11 billion agriculture credit-disbursement target for all the scheduled banks in the current fiscal year (FY), 2022-23.
The amount is nearly 9.0 per cent higher than that of the last FY, according to officials.
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) unveiled the agriculture and rural credit policy and programme for the FY 23 at a press conference at its headquarters in the capital on Thursday.
Of the target, nine state-owned banks have got a disbursement target of Tk 117.58 billion in this fiscal, while private commercial banks (PCBs) along with foreign commercial banks (FCBs) got Tk 191.53 billion.
The disbursement of farm credit exceeded the target in the last FY. The banks achieved 101.56 per cent of the total annual agriculture loan disbursement target of Tk 283.91 billion.
The farm credit disbursement grew by more than 13 per cent to Tk 288.34 billion in the FY 22 - from Tk 255.11 billion a year before, the BB data showed.
Meanwhile, credit for rearing duck, cultivating chia seed, teen fruit, sugar beet, Vietnamese hybrid coconut, coffee and sweet, sea weed and lobster was included in the new policy, they added.
"We expect that the banks will be able to achieve the agriculture credit target for the FY 23 - like the previous year," BB spokesperson and executive director Md. Serajul Islam said while declaring the policy.
Mr Islam hoped that the policy would help ensure the food security of Bangladesh.
"All the BB branch offices across the country are now working to ensure disbursement of such credit without harassment of the farmers," he added.
Among others, BB executive directors G. M. Abul Kalam Azad and Md. Awlad Hossain Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.
