Ten scheduled banks on Thursday signed participant agreement with Bangladesh Bank for giving loans to marginal and landless farmers, who have bank accounts with Tk 10 deposits, from the central bank’s Tk 200 crore refinance fund.
The banks made the deal at the central bank headquarters in the capital in presence of BB governor Atiur Rahman.
Speaking on the occasion, Atiur said the marginal and landless farmers would be able to get the loan from refinance fund by opening bank account with only Tk 10 deposit.
The 10 banks have already applied to the central bank to use Tk 110 crore from the refinance fund, he said.
The 10 banks are—Sonali Bank, Janata Bank, Agrani Bank, Rupali Bank, Bangladesh Krishi Bank, Pubali Bank, NCC Bank, Standard Bank, BRAC Bank and NRB Bank.
More 22 banks have also expressed interest to sign participant agreement with the central bank to use the refinance fund, he said.
BB deputy governor SK Sur Chowdhury, executive director M Mahfuzur Rahman, Sonali Bank managing director Pradip Kumar Dutta and Pubali Bank managing director Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, among others, were present at the signing ceremony.
The clients will have to count 20 per cent interest if they receive the loan from the refinance fund through the linkage of non-government organisations.
The clients, however, will have to count 12 per cent interest rate if they receive the loans through the scheduled banks.
The banks will receive the fund from the central bank with interest rate of five per cent.
A client will get maximum Tk 50,000 in credit from the banks for one year.
-With New Age input
