Bangladesh Bank has set a Tk60,000 crore lending target for banks in the agriculture and rural sectors for fiscal year 2026-27. Governor Md Mostakur Rahman announced the agriculture and rural credit policy and programme at the central bank’s Jahangir Alam Conference Hall on August 17. The target is 53.85 percent higher than the Tk39,000 crore target set in the previous fiscal year.

State-owned commercial and specialised banks have been assigned Tk20,495 crore, while private and foreign commercial banks have been assigned Tk39,505 crore. The revised policy allows certifications from local agriculture extension, fisheries and livestock officers to be used as information for obtaining farmer cards. It also relaxes the prescribed membership limit for farmer groups and provides rural lending guidance for farmers involved in income-generating crop and cultivation activities.

The policy prioritises women and marginal farmers for loans up to Tk5 lakh in fisheries and livestock and advises use of alternative collateral instead of land or immovable property. It adds hatchery fry production, poultry chick production and camel rearing to agricultural lending. Bangladesh Bank said the financing should support food production, employment, rural incomes and inflation control.