The government has decided to waive agricultural loans of up to Tk10,000, in line with the BNP’s electoral manifesto pledge. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held on Thursday at the secretariat, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani told reporters after the meeting. He said the government approved the waiver of agricultural loans — along with accrued interest — up to Tk10,000 in the crop, fisheries and livestock sectors. He added that the waiver is also expected to improve farmers’ credit records, allowing them to access low-interest agricultural loans from banks in the future and reduce reliance on high-interest informal lenders. Officials recalled that during the 1991–1996 tenure of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, agricultural loans of up to Tk5,000 were waived, which helped ease farmers’ hardships and contributed to increased agricultural production.
