Six state-owned banks have disbursed Tk 38.1 crore to hundreds of marginal farmers across the country as special credits at an interest rate of 2 percent.

The banks -- Sonali, Janata, Agrani, Rupali, Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (Rakub) -- disbursed the loan in the past eight months under a special credit programme of Bangladesh Bank.

The central bank last year announced the special agriculture credit for 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 Tk 96 crore to disburse among farmers this year who need cash support to grow the crop.

The amount the six public banks disbursed until February 17 was 39.67 percent higher than the target of this period.

Of the credit, BKB disbursed the highest amount of Tk 13.36 crore followed by Agrani Bank's Tk 8.23 crore. Sonali, Janata, Rakub and Rupali disbursed Tk 7.43 crore, Tk 6 crore, Tk 2.99 crore and Tk 7.98 lakh respectively.

According to a 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 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 the country self-reliant for spices and pulses as well as for major food grains.

News: The Daily Star/ Bangladesh/ Mar-01-2011