ZTBL loans: Punjab gets 83.9c, Balochistan just 1.1pc

Pakistan’s Finance Ministry told the National Assembly that Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) channelled Rs99.443 billion in farm credit during fiscal year 2025-26, with Punjab receiving Rs83.459 billion, or 83.9 per cent. Sindh got Rs9.295 billion, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs3.891 billion and Balochistan Rs1.1 billion; Gilgit and Muzaffarabad received Rs1.364 billion and Rs334 million, respectively, Business Recorder reported.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb linked Punjab’s larger allocation to its farming base, seasonal borrowing needs, branch coverage and digitised land records. Punjab has 294 of ZTBL’s 501 branches and 44 per cent of subsistence farmers, while ministry figures for 2024-25 show banks lent Rs2.045 trillion there, 79 per cent of nationwide agricultural lending of Rs2.577 trillion; Balochistan received Rs9.511 billion.