ZTBL deposits grown up to Rs10b, profit Rs4b: Zaka

ZTBL President Chaudhry Muhammad Zaka Ashraf stated this at a Iftar dinner hosted in honour of journalists at local hotel on Saturday.

He said that instead of cash loans, the bank has now

started providing standardized, pure, high-yielding and low price agri inputs directly to the farmers thus saving their middle men cost. While, advanced technologies such as solar energy tube-well, drip/sprinkle irrigation and production of bio gas have been made available to the growers at competitive price, he added.

The ZTBL, he said, has also started receiving Hajj applications in all its branches, which helped a lot the farmers especially in far-flung areas. He said, the bank's branches would soon be connected online.

Chaudhry Zaka resolved that ZTBL staff would continue to facilitate the farmers community to make them self-sufficient, thus transforming Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed's dream into reality.

Enumerating the new agri technologies and special initiative of the ZTBL, he said, the bank was focusing on introduction of bio-gas/wind/solar power driven water and power generation system; Jatropha/Sukh Chan/castrol plantation for bio-diesel production; plantation of olive varieties in Pakistan; dissemination of agricultural technologies to the farmers; development of demonstration/model agriculture, poultry, quail, fish and dairy farms; introduction of innovative fish farming technologies and breeds; introduction of water conservation techniques through drip/sprinkle irrigation; and introduction of hybrid seeds for better production.

The ZTBL President added that the Bank has taken initiatives for production of off-season vegetable, fruit and floriculture; production of medicinal plants and herbs; making ZTBL a green and environmental-friendly bank through controlling emission of green house gases; establishment of 31 model villages to disseminate technology for high yielding crops; financing for promotion of forestry; introduction of bio-fertilizers; and public-private partnership in agriculture extension management.

About farmer's friendly steps, he mentioned the crops insurance; agri loans of the calamity hit areas written off under federal government's directives; lowest mark-up rate; one window operation; widest network of 354 branches; benazir tractor scheme; Sada Bahar Scheme and Awami Zarai Scheme (provision of in-kind inputs).

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011