Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL), the premiere agriculture financing institution of the country has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) at ZTBL, Islamabad today. The spirit of the MoU is to leverage synergies between two institutions, benefiting the farmer communities, especially subsistent level small farmers.
The President/CEO of ZTBL, Syed Talat Mahmood highlighted the direct role ZTBL has played as a financing institution for the farmer for past six decades and expressed his resolve to empower small farmers of the country. Emphasizing the importance of agriculture value chain financing, ZTBL president elaborated his plans to offer broader spectrum of financing services which will not only ensure healthy cash flows for small farmer but also provide him with platforms where farming becomes a risk free business especially hedging price/market risks, inculcation for agriculture best practices, strengthening inputs supply, enhanced and well suited mechanization and developing farmers access to markets.
Dr Rashid Bajwa, Chief Executive Officer of NRSP, while introducing the operations and business model of NRSP, elaborated that the operational structure of NRSP consisting of COs (community organizations) integrated to VOs (village organizations) and LSOs (Local Service Organizations) forms the back bone of their successful operational and business structure. He further elaborated that NRSP at present captures twenty five percent share of microfinance market.
Construction of warehousing facility along with silos for rice paddy in Hafizabad is categorized as the project which has developed an entire eco-system by providing end-to-end solution to small farmers. This project, he further elaborated, will have manifold impact in increasing farmers' productivity and their profitability being a one window solution for the entire cropping activity of a farmer ie from input supply to marketing of the produce. Joint efforts of both these institutions are anticipated to have a lasting impact on the country's agriculture landscape, through combining skills and expertise for empowering the small farmers.-PR
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