Agricultural credit disbursement by the banks surged by 20 per cent on year-on-year basis to Rs149.658 billion in the first seven months (July-January) of the current fiscal year (2011-12), reported the central bank Wednesday. In absolute terms, it said, the disbursement of credit to the agriculture sector increased by over Rs24.772 billion in July-January, 2012 when compared with total disbursement of Rs124.886 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.
Overall credit disbursement by five major commercial banks, including Allied Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, MCB Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank Limited stood at Rs82.462 billion in July-January, 2012 compared with Rs68.481 billion disbursements in July-January, 2011; depicting an increase of Rs13.981 billion or 20.42 per cent. Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, the largest specialised bank, disbursed a total of Rs26.361 billion in July-January, 2012, down by 0.03 per cent when compared with Rs26.369 billion disbursement in the same period of the last fiscal year. Punjab Provincial Co-operative Bank Limited disbursed Rs4.980 billion in July-January, 2012 up by 28.49 per cent when compared with Rs3.876 billion disbursement in the same period of the last fiscal year.
Fourteen domestic private banks also loaned a combined amount of Rs28.996 billion in July-January, 2012 up by 10.84 per cent compared with Rs26.160 billion disbursement in the same period of the last fiscal year.
