Import-substitute crops growers get Tk 495m loans

The selected banks have so far disbursed Tk 495 million in credit from July 2010 to March 10, 2011 to growers of different import-substitute crops like pulse, oilseed, garlic, ginger, turmeric, onion and maize. The credit disbursement was 52 per cent of the target of Tk 960.50 million set for the current fiscal, according to statistics released recently by the Bangladesh Bank, reports UNB. Bangladesh Bank took the initiative to disburse credit at 2.0 per cent interest through four state-owned and two specialised banks to encourage the farmers for cultivating the import-substitute crops.