HBL, as the designated champion bank for Balochistan, hosted the first meeting of the Regional Agricultural Coordination Committee (RACC) in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The meeting was held in Quetta on 25 March 2022.
Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL led the meeting, and it was attended by Noor Ahmed – Director, Agriculture, Credit & Microfinance Department – SBP, and Amjad Ali Imran, Chief Manager – SBP BSC – Quetta. Senior executives from the Government of Baluchistan, SBP, HBL, other banks operative in the province, as well as the farming community also attended the session.
The RACC meeting was focused around developing a comprehensive framework to address the agricultural outreach challenges in the underserved areas of Balochistan. The committee will work towards devising strategies, focused on serving the farmers and enhancing financial inclusion amongst the rural masses in the province.
Read more: Balochistan: The new player in regional politics?
Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL, commenting on the occasion said, “SBP has designated HBL the Champion Bank for Baluchistan to lead the industry in improving access to finance for the farmers in the province.
“The Bank is playing an active role in enhancing credit outreach for the province through capacity building, farmer literacy programs as well as tailored agricultural finance products. HBL is committed to serving the underserved farming community of Baluchistan, in line with SBP’s vision of financial inclusion in Pakistan.”
"#HBL is committed to serving the underserved farming community of #Balochistan. The Bank will support credit delivery, along with capacity building & awareness campaigns under @StateBank_Pak's vision of #financialinclusion in #Pakistan." Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL pic.twitter.com/y8NT4sceQL
— HBL (@HBLPak) March 25, 2022
The session concluded with the commitment from all stakeholders to work towards expanding the agricultural landscape by empowering the farming community of Baluchistan.
HBL commits to Pakistan’s farming community
Important to note, HBL has often shown commitment to local farmers by either launching initiatives or taking part in government programs aimed at the financial strengthening of Pakistan’s farming community. For instance, last month, the State Bank of Pakistan launched the Electronic Warehouse Receipt Financing (EWRF) system in District Kasur for financing farmers. At the event, HBL, which is also the pioneer of EWRF in Pakistan, handed out a loan to one of its clients.
Speaking at the occasion, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL stated that improvements in agriculture will directly impact Pakistan’s economy.
Apart from easing farmers’ financial burdens, HBL also strongly campaigns for a tech revolution in Pakistan’s agriculture sector. In this regard, last year, HBL entered into a strategic alliance with BaKhabar Kissan. BaKhabar Kissan is a leading agriculture technology company engaged in building the capacity of farmers, operative in Pakistan.
Read more: HBL & BaKhabar Kissan to revolutionize Pakistan’s agro-economy