Bangladesh Bank has opened the doors of agricultural credit to entrepreneurs interested in camel farming.
Under the new Agricultural and Rural Credit Policy, camel rearing has been included within the scope of agricultural loans.
Consequently, farmers and farm owners will be able to obtain bank loans for camel farming upon fulfilling the prescribed conditions.
At the same time, activities such as fish fry production in hatcheries and poultry chick production have also been brought under the agricultural credit program.
For the current FY27, Bangladesh Bank has set a total target of Tk60,000 crore for credit disbursement in the agricultural and rural sectors.
This represents an increase of nearly 54 percent compared to the previous fiscal year's target of Tk39,000 crore.
On Monday, central bank governor Md Mostakur Rahman announced the new "Agricultural and Rural Credit Policy and Program" at the Jahangir Alam Conference Hall of Bangladesh Bank's headquarters.
Of the new overall target, Tk20,495 crore has been set for state-owned commercial and specialized banks, while Tk39,505 crore has been designated for private and foreign commercial banks.
Moving beyond traditional agricultural financing, Bangladesh Bank has brought several new promising sectors under its program this year, including camel farming.
This creates an opportunity for individuals seeking to farm camels commercially to receive agricultural loans from banks, subject to meeting prescribed rules and eligibility criteria.
In addition to camel farming, the framework allows for loan distribution to both individual and group farmers in the fisheries and livestock sectors.
Fish fry production in hatcheries and poultry chick production have also been newly added under the agricultural loan umbrella.
As a result, rather than limiting agricultural credit to rice, wheat, vegetables, or conventional farming, funding opportunities will expand to livestock, fisheries, and innovative agri-based ventures.
