Key Takeaways
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed banks to increase lending to farmers and SMEs.
- The government aims to provide affordable housing for low-income and middle-class households.
- A pilot project to identify mortgage-eligible plots will launch in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed banks and financial institutions to expand their lending to farmers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the housing sector, according to a recent meeting.
The prime minister emphasized the importance of agriculture as the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, and directed that farmers be provided with uninterrupted access to financing on easy terms.
He also highlighted the government’s commitment to affordable housing, directing provincial chief secretaries to conduct a comprehensive survey of properties that could qualify for bank financing under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.
So far, 147,504 applications have been received under the scheme, with 53,127 approved, amounting to a total value of Rs. 313.42 billion. Rs. 45.43 billion in loans have been disbursed to 8,739 applicants.
The meeting was informed that a system is being developed to identify plots across the country that meet mortgage requirements, with a pilot project set to launch in Islamabad.
Bank lending to the SME sector stood at Rs. 1.067 trillion as of August 2026, with the government targeting Rs. 2 trillion in lending by June 2028 under the Access to Finance Plan 2026 to 2028.
The prime minister also encouraged banks that proactively increase access to credit, stating that the government would support such initiatives.
The prime minister’s directive aims to bolster economic growth by ensuring that farmers and SMEs have better access to finance, which is crucial for their operations and expansion.
