PM Urges Banks to Expand Lending to SMEs, Farmers and Housing

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed banks and financial institutions to increase lending to farmers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the housing sector, while encouraging institutions that actively support these priority areas.

 

Chairing a review meeting on the Access to Finance Plan 2026–28, the prime minister was informed that agricultural lending had reached Rs1.268 trillion in August, against a target of Rs2 trillion by June 2028. SME financing stood at Rs1.067 trillion, with the same Rs2 trillion target set for 2028.

 

Sharif called agriculture a key pillar of Pakistan’s economy and instructed authorities to ensure farmers have continuous access to affordable financing.

 

The meeting also reviewed progress on the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme, under which 147,504 applications have been received and 53,127 approved. The approved applications represent financing of Rs313.42 billion, with Rs45.43 billion already disbursed to 8,739 applicants.

 

The prime minister directed provincial authorities to survey properties that could qualify for bank financing under the housing programme. A system is also being developed to identify mortgage-eligible plots nationwide, with Islamabad selected for the pilot phase.

 

Meanwhile, the Zarkhez-e digital financing platform has received 35,838 applications, with Rs7.35 billion approved and Rs1.96 billion disbursed.

 

The meeting was also informed that SMEDA provided financial literacy training to 1,096 SMEs during the past three months as part of efforts to improve access to finance.