PM Shehbaz directs banks to boost financing for agriculture, SMEs and housing

PM Shehbaz has urged banks and financial institutions to expand lending to farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the housing sector under the government’s Access to Finance Plan 2026-28.

Chairing a review meeting in Islamabad, the PM said banks that proactively support these sectors would be encouraged. 

He described agriculture as the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and called for farmers to have easy access to financing on favorable terms.

The meeting was informed that bank lending to agriculture had reached Rs1.268 trillion by August 2026, with a target of Rs2 trillion by June 2028. 

The Zarkhez-e app has received 35,838 loan applications, with Rs7.35 billion approved and Rs1.96 billion disbursed.

For the SME sector, bank financing stood at Rs1.067 trillion in August, with the same Rs2 trillion target set for June 2028. The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has also provided financial literacy training to 1,096 SMEs over the past three months.

On housing, Shehbaz directed provincial chief secretaries to conduct a comprehensive survey of properties that could qualify for bank financing under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.

Officials told the meeting that 147,504 applications had been received under the scheme, with 53,127 approved. Approved financing stood at Rs313.42 billion, while Rs45.43 billion had been disbursed to 8,739 applicants. Islamabad will serve as the pilot for a system identifying plots meeting mortgage requirements.