Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A massive scam has been unearthed in Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), as the bank was involved in favouring Punjabi farmers by facilitating them with 81 percent of agricultural loans, while around 19 percent of the total loans were distributed among the farmers associated with remaining provinces.

According to documents available with Online, ZTBL distributed around Rs 95 billion worth loans to the farmers associated with Punjab during 2015, which constitutes around 81 percent.

Sindhi farmers were given 13.4 percent loans, Khyber Pakhtunwa 4.2 percent loans, Balochistan 0.3 percent, Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan with 0.4 percent loans respectively.

Majority of Punjab loans were released to farmers hailing from Bahawalnagar, Bhawalpur, Faisalabad, Jhang, Muzaffargarh, Okara, Sukkur and Vehari.

Around 92.2 percent loans were recovered from the farmers across the Pakistan during 2015. ZTBL recovered around 93.6 percent loans from Punjab farmers during 2015, while 86.3 percent from Sindh, 91.7 percent from KP, 74 percent from Balochistan, 99.6 from AJK and 90.1 percent from GB during 2015.

Around Rs 81 billion and Rs 71billion agricultural loans were given to farmers by ZTBL during 2014 and 2013. According to documents, the loans were given at Rs 12.5 percent interest rate during 2015, while they recovered at 15 percent interest rate.

It is pertinent to mention that members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance protested against distribution of loans at such high rates and recommended to release loans at Rs 0.7 percent. MNA Rana Mohammad Hayat urged the government to give loans at lower tariff and at subsided rates.