Agricultural sector is the largest contribution to Pakistan’s GDP. Agricultural credit plays an important role in enhancing the agricultural productivity in developing countries like Pakistan. The government of Pakistan introduced several agricultural credit loans through ZTBL and other commercial banks and institutional sources. This study estimated constrains faced by the farmers in acquisitioned source. This study also estimated the impact of credit on agricultural productivity. Data were collected randomly from 30 loanee farmers to three selected ZTBL branches and 30 non loanee farmers in the same villages. It found that the credit has a positive impact on the agricultural productivity and loanee farmers have more gross margins than non loanee farmers. Now the problem is to remove the constraints which small farmers are facing in this regard and then improve the utilization of the credit amount as planned at the time of disbursement in agriculture production process following findings were found. A major proportion i.e.40.8% of the farmers belonged to young age group (36-45 years). It was found that majority of the respondents had low level of education in the selected area. More than 51.7% of the respondents had 6-10 acres of the land holding. A huge majority 95% of the respondents had knowledge about the agricultural credit scheme of the ZTBL Bank. More than 56.75 of the loanees’ farmers avail credit facilities for the first time from the ZTBL bank. A large majority 63.3 of the farmers were not satisfied with the interest rate charged by the banks. It was found that a large number of farmers mutualized the credit amount. About 66.7% farmers got agricultural credit facility from bank without facing any problem. Result indicate that average cultivated area in case of loanee farmers is higher than non-loanee farmers. It was conclude that the loanee farmers had more cost of production as compare to non loanee farmers. Results of regression analysis indicate that credit had very normal impact on agricultural productivity as limiting factors is the proper utilization of loan mount in agricultural sector. The most common utilization of credit amount as construction, repair and renovation of the houses by the loanee farmers.
Keywords: Agriculture, Credit, Farmer, Loan, Producitivity, Zarai Taraqiati Bank
