Islamabad (Staff Reporter):
Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has instructed the State Bank of Pakistan to simplify the process for commercial banks to provide credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the agricultural sector. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of facilitating financial inclusion and supporting private sector growth, particularly for small businesses and farmers.
He made these remarks while chairing a review meeting on credit facilitation for SMEs and small farmers, including initiatives to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the country. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif directed that service providers in the agricultural sector be given priority access to loans to promote modernization and technological adoption.
The Prime Minister also instructed that a comprehensive policy framework be developed in consultation with provincial governments, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, to ensure smooth implementation of credit programs. He stressed the importance of entrepreneurship training for youth to encourage the establishment of new businesses and boost economic activity.
During the meeting, officials briefed the Prime Minister on credit disbursement trends, noting significant improvements in recent years. From 2021 to December 2025, the number of private sector loan beneficiaries doubled to over 303,000, with total credit reaching PKR 1.1 trillion. In the agricultural sector, approximately 3 million farmers are expected to benefit from loans this year, up from 2.8 million last year. Loans cover modern machinery, crops, livestock, and fisheries, with digital platforms like “Zarkhaiz-e-App” enhancing accessibility for farmers.
The Prime Minister vowed to regularly chair monitoring meetings and establish a subcommittee tasked with recommending further measures to ease credit access for SMEs and the agricultural sector, thereby stimulating business activity nationwide.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kiani, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, senior officials, and Chief Secretaries from all four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.