Bangladesh Bank has asked all banks in the country to provide detailed information on agricultural loans up to Tk 10,000. The request followed a query from board member and Dhaka University professor Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir. The central bank’s Agricultural Credit Department sent an email after office hours on Thursday, instructing banks to submit the data by noon on Sunday. Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan confirmed the directive.

According to the letter, banks were told to report the total principal, interest or profit, and outstanding balance of loans and investments in the agriculture and rural sectors up to Tk 10,000 as of December 31 of the previous year. The reason for the sudden request was not disclosed, and the spokesperson said he was unaware of the purpose behind it. The report notes that the data collection was not discussed at any board meeting or through the usual internal approval process.

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, banks disbursed Tk 21,000 crore in agricultural loans, marking a 29 percent increase from the same period last year.