ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has signed a financial advisory services agreement to begin the strategic privatization of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), the country’s largest state-owned agricultural lender, the privatization commission said on Friday.
The move comes as Islamabad faces pressure to privatize loss-making or under-performing state-owned enterprises under International Monetary Fund loan agreements in recent years.
The government expects the sell-off drive to improve efficiency by putting such entities under competitive, corporate management.
ZTBL’s privatization comes at a time when Pakistan is striving to bolster food security in the face of extreme climate patterns by modernizing agricultural finance, helping farmers adopt new technologies and practices critical for boosting yields and resilience.
“The privatization of ZTBL is designed to catalyze investment in Pakistan’s agricultural future by combining private sector efficiency with the bank’s long-standing expertise in agricultural finance,” the commission said in a statement. “The goal is to ensure farmers have timely access to essential financial resources.”
