Abu Sazzad :Bangladesh Bank (BB) on Monday asked all schedule banks to disburse agriculture loan among the dwellers in the newly included 111 enclaves in the country with a view to improving their livelihood, said a BB circular issued in this regard to all Chiefs and Managing Directors of the banks.The central bank has taken the decision to ensure the rights of the former enclave dwellers like other areas of the country, BB Executive Director, M Mahfuzur Rahman told The New Nation on Monday.Considering the necessity of access to finance for the community development of the newly included enclave people, the central bank has taken this decision, he said.Earlier, the central bank also asked all Financial Institutions (FIs) to spend a portion of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) fund among the erstwhile enclave dwellers.Actually, adequate availability of agriculture credit is an import requirement for the development of rural people, especially the enclave dwellers, said Mahfuzur Rahman.”The enclave dwellers were deprived of various social improvement initiatives since long. So, it is very important to help them for their community development, said the BB executive.The banks will provide easy loan to the ex-enclave dwellers which would help them reducing poverty and generating employment opportunities, he said.The aim of the central bank’s agriculture loan is to help attaining food sufficiency of the country, he said, adding that BB has set the target of agriculture loan for all schedule banks for the ongoing fiscal to fulfil the vision.According to the BB policy, each bank has to disburse to the agricultural sector 2.50 per cent of its total lending while the new banks will have to disburse 5 per cent each. The central bank will consider the banks’ performances in the farm loan disbursement to calculate their (banks) CAMELS rating from this financial year, the BB Executive Director further said.The central bank is also thinking to introduce crop insurance to save farmers from any type of natural calamity, he said.Bangladesh Institution of Bank Management (BIBM) SME Consultant Sukumol Sinha Chowdhury said, the central bank is also planning to provide SME loan to the ex-enclave dwellers soon to reduce economic disparity.
