Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called on banks and financial institutions to actively participate in extending loans to farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the housing sector. During a meeting on Access to Finance for Agriculture, Housing, and SMEs in Islamabad, the Prime Minister emphasized the crucial role of these sectors in the nation's economy.

According to Radio Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored the government's commitment to encouraging banks that make significant contributions to expanding access to credit. He highlighted the agricultural sector as the backbone of the country's economy and stressed the national responsibility of fostering its development. The Prime Minister instructed that farmers be provided with uninterrupted access to financial resources on favorable terms.

In addition to the agricultural sector, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of affordable housing for low-income and middle-class families as a government priority. He directed provincial chief secretaries to carry out comprehensive surveys of properties eligible for loans under the Prime Minister's Apna Ghar Scheme.

The meeting revealed that 147,504 applications have been received under the Apna Ghar Scheme, with 53,127 of these applications approved. The total value of the approved applications amounts to 313.42 billion rupees, and loans worth 45.43 billion rupees have been disbursed to 8,739 applicants. It was also noted that a system is being developed to identify plots across the country that meet mortgage requirements, with a pilot project to be launched in Islamabad.

Furthermore, it was reported that bank lending to the SME sector stood at 1.067 trillion rupees as of August this year. The Access to Finance Plan 2026-28 has set an ambitious target of two trillion rupees by June 2028, reflecting the government's focus on enhancing financial support for SMEs.