Islamabad: Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) participated in the Hand-in-Hand National Agriculture Investment Summit on Olive and Dairy Sectors, organized by FAO at Serena Hotel, Islamabad.
The Summit was attended by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, senior government officials, representatives of FAO, development partners, financial institutions, agribusiness
leaders, agri., research institutes, academia, and farmers. The event aimed at mobilizing investment and strengthening value chains in olive and dairy sector.
President/CEO ZTBL, Mr. Tahir Yaqoob Bhatti, delivered a keynote address highlighting the Bank’s pivotal role in extending finance to small and subsistence farmers of the country which are 96% of the farming community.
President shared that ZTBL is the country’s largest agriculture financing institution with a nationwide rural footprint. The Bank has significantly expanded dairy sector lending for small farmers by disbursing Rs. 60 billion
under dairy financing with Rs. 13 Billion under Prime Minister Kissan Package at concessional mark-up rate, during last three years. He also highlighted ZTBL’s development-oriented approach that combines financing with
advisory services and on-farm innovation.
A key feature highlighted was ZTBL’s ginger intercropping experiment in olive orchards, undertaken at the Bank’s demonstration farm in Islamabad in collaboration with Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad.
The initiative demonstrated successful cultivation of ginger under olive trees, enabling farmers to generate additional income during the early, non-bearing years of olive plantations. President further shared ZTBL’s
establishment of a state-of-the-art olive oil extraction and packaging unit at its Islamabad demonstration farm, providing free extraction services to olive growers to promote value addition. On the sidelines of the Summit, ZTBL set up an information and demonstration stall, which attracted strong interest from participants. The stall showcased farm and value-added products along with informational brochures and leaflets to create awareness among farmers about ZTBL’s financing schemes and advisory services. Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain visited ZTBL stall and appreciated the Bank’s practical, farmer-centric initiatives, particularly the ginger cultivation experiment as income-enhancing model for olive growers. ZTBL’s participation reaffirmed its commitment to supporting national priorities through inclusive agricultural finance, value chain development, and climate-smart farming practices to transform Pakistan’s agriculture
sector.
