ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to work together to resolve tax-related issues faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and exporters, as part of efforts to expand access to financing for priority sectors.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the directive was given during a meeting chaired by the prime minister to review lending facilities for SMEs, housing and agriculture.
Shehbaz also instructed the Finance Ministry to address financing-related problems faced by stakeholders in these sectors and develop a comprehensive strategy to improve access to loans.
He called for a comprehensive risk-coverage mechanism to make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to obtain bank financing.
Focus on Priority Sectors
The prime minister said the development of SMEs, housing and agriculture was among the government’s foremost priorities, as these sectors could support economic growth and generate employment opportunities for young people.
He praised banks that had performed well in extending loans to the three priority sectors under government initiatives.
However, he directed the SBP and Finance Ministry not to extend concessions to banks that were slow in providing financing to farmers, SMEs and beneficiaries of the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.
“Banks are of key importance for the development of the private sector,” he said, adding that he expected them to extend the same cooperation in financing priority sectors as the government and its institutions provided to banks.
Shehbaz said SMEs had significant potential to contribute to economic growth, promote exports and create employment opportunities.
Describing agriculture as the backbone of the national economy, he said the government was working to increase exports through value addition of agricultural produce.
He added that the Apna Ghar Scheme would support several industries associated with housing and construction.
SBP’s Digital Financing Measures
The PMO said officials briefed the prime minister that the SBP was working on three main pillars to increase lending to priority sectors: improving regulations, sharing risks and costs between the government and banks, and expanding digital facilities.
As part of these efforts, the central bank had recently launched the SME Connect digital portal, which allows business owners to apply for loans and track the progress of their applications.
The meeting was informed that, as of October 23, loans worth Rs511 billion had been approved under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Programme, covering 86,899 applications.
Of the approved amount, Rs91 billion had been disbursed to 15,584 applicants, according to the PMO.
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Housing, Agriculture and SME Financing
The meeting also reviewed lending figures across the three priority sectors.
Total housing finance had reached Rs455 billion, benefiting 187,317 borrowers. In agriculture, lending stood at Rs1,329 billion, benefiting approximately 3.5 million people.
Meanwhile, SME financing had reached Rs1,148 billion, with 342,458 businesses receiving loans.
Officials said the government had set a target of increasing lending to both the agriculture and SME sectors to Rs1,500 billion by the end of fiscal year 2027.
The meeting was also informed that the government had introduced risk-sharing and credit-guarantee measures for housing, agriculture and SMEs.
Work was underway to simplify loan procedures, reduce documentation requirements and improve access to financing through digital systems.
Officials also presented performance indicators for commercial banks operating in the three priority sectors, while the prime minister praised institutions that had demonstrated strong performance.
Senior Officials Attend Meeting
Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Dr Musadik Malik, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar and Shaza Fatima Khawaja attended the meeting.
Other participants included Prime Minister’s Adviser Haroon Akhtar, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kiani, SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad, MNAs Hafizuddin and Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir, and senior government officials.
Heads and representatives of leading commercial banks were also present.
