KARACHI: Pakistan has launched ‘Zarkheze,’ a government-backed digital platform, to expand farmers’ access to agricultural financing and advisory services, allowing up to Rs1 million loans through a mobile app as part of efforts to boost productivity and formalize farm lending.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector accounted for 24 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employed more than 37 percent of the nation’s labor force last year, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25.
The Zarkheze initiative aims to digitize agriculture finance enabling farmers to digitally apply and obtain financing through Zarkheze app. After necessary verifications and agronomic assessments, the application will be submitted to the bank of farmer’s choice for processing, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Seventy-five percent of the financing will be disbursed in kind for the purchase of agri-inputs through pre-approved agri-vendors of banks. Besides financing, farmers will also be provided with agri-advisory services through a Land Information Management System (LIMS).
“The Zarkheze product will thus not only provide financing but will also improve the farmers’ productivity through quality inputs and advisory services,” the SBP and and the Pakistan Banks Association (PBA) said in a joint statement.
