{
  "id": 6518304,
  "title": "SMEs, farmers, housing: PM directs banks, FIs to boost lending",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/smes-farmers-housing-pm-directs-banks-fis-to-boost-lending",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-10T01:20:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40438789/smes-farmers-housing-pm-directs-banks-fis-to-boost-lending"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed banks and financial institutions to increase lending to farmers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the housing sector during a review meeting on the Access to Finance Plan 2026-28. Lending to agriculture stood at Rs1.268 trillion in August, short of the Rs2 trillion target by June 2028. SME lending totaled Rs1.067 trillion, with a Rs2 trillion goal for the same deadline. Sharif emphasized agriculture's crucial role in the economy and directed farmers to receive easy access to finance. He also stressed the need for affordable housing, particularly for low and middle-income groups, and reviewed the progress of the Prime Minister's Apna Ghar Scheme. As of now, 53,127 applications valued at Rs313.42 billion have been approved, with Rs45.43 billion disbursed to 8,739 applicants. The prime minister directed provincial chief secretaries to conduct a survey of properties for financing under the scheme and noted that a system is being developed to identify suitable plots for the pilot project in Islamabad. Efforts to expand credit access via digital channels were also discussed, with the Zarkhez-e app receiving 35,838 applications and approving Rs7.35 billion in financing.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed banks and financial institutions (FIs) to expand lending to farmers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the housing sector, and said the government would encourage institutions that actively supported these areas. Presiding over a review meeting on the Access to Finance Plan 2026-28, the prime minister was informed that bank…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "PM Shehbaz urges banks to boost lending to farmers, SMEs and housing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/pm-shehbaz-urges-banks-to-boost-lending-to-farmers-smes-and-housing",
        "published": "2026-09-09T08:07:21.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}