March 29, 2024, 4:08 pm


Rubel Rana

Published:
2018-07-18 16:16:13 BdST

Farmers can apply for loans online


FT ONLINE

Farmers will be able to get farm loans by filling in an online application through the Union Information and Service Centre, as part of the government's Digital Bangladesh agenda.

The digital credit programme for farmers will be launched tomorrow at the Bangladesh Bank headquarters in the capital.

The Access to Information (a2i) programme of the Prime Minister's Office will provide the facility to farmers so that they can get the loans without any harassment.

The farmers will have to mention the credit amount, the lender's name and the bank branch in the online application form to get the loan, said a BB official.

The employees of the UISC will help the farmers to fill up the application and the bank will have to respond to the credit proposal within 10 days, he said.

The banks will seek queries from farmers if they are missing information and spot visits will also be made.

If the loan application is declined, the bank will have to give the farmer the reason for denying him the funds.

The farmers will have to pay a visit to the branch just once during the entire process: when the bank will disburse the loan.

The central bank had earlier found that farmers were subjected to different types of harassment when applying for loans.

There were instances of middlemen taking over too, and many officials of the state-owned banks remain unwilling to disburse loans without getting bribe from farmers. Some bank officials impose charges on the farmers illegally to even provide the application form for farm loans.

The central bank has recently issued a notice to all banks instructing them to make the application form available to all farmers free of charge.

The BB official said the digital system will help farmers to get loans without any harassment.

Farm loan disbursement rose 3.63 percent year-on-year to Tk 19,624 crore in the first 11 months of fiscal 2017-18, according to data from the central bank.

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