Agro-processing entrepreneurs have demanded easier access to loans for agricultural entrepreneurs. They also complained that various Bangladesh Bank financing facilities and funds are not properly reaching entrepreneurs.

A Bangladesh Bank official said that although funds have been prepared for entrepreneurs, two-thirds of them are lying idle.

These points came up on the afternoon of Thursday, 10 September, at a technical session of "BAPA Business and Finance Connect 2026", held during the 11th Foodpro International Expo organised by the Bangladesh Agro-Processors' Association (BAPA) at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital.

The keynote was presented by Uzma Chowdhury, a director of PRAN-RFL Group. Bangladesh Bank joint directors Avik Chowdhury (SME and Special Programmes) and Shantanu Biswas (Agricultural Credit Department), BAPA general secretary Syed Muhammad Shoaib Hasan and others were present.

Uzma Chowdhury said loan facilities for entrepreneurs must be made easier. The government gives agricultural entrepreneurs many benefits and Bangladesh Bank issues various SROs, but these benefits stay on websites and do not reach people's doorsteps.

She said marginal farmers would benefit if loans were offered around crops and seasons. Many crops also go to waste because cold storage is not assured, which discourages farmers from farming. So cold storage must be expanded, with government policy support for the sector.

She added that high tax rates and rising production costs are also creating problems for agricultural entrepreneurs.

Several entrepreneurs at the session also called for steps to make agricultural loans easier and suggested guaranteed credit for expanding cold storage.

Bangladesh Bank joint director Avik Chowdhury said financing for the sector's entrepreneurs is being eased in broadly four ways. A policy is being made so that 40 per cent of SME financing goes to manufacturing, a rule that gives banks the chance to get closer to entrepreneurs.

He said work is under way to simplify the financing infrastructure. A credit guarantee fund of Tk 20,000 crore has been set up, and a law has been made to make small loans collateral-free.

He also highlighted entrepreneurs' limited capacity to borrow. Many banks say many entrepreneurs are not ready to take loans; they have problems with documents and other issues, and many cannot provide adequate documentation. That is why work on entrepreneur development is going on.

"We have kept the windows open, but they do not reach entrepreneurs. We have prepared the funds, yet two-thirds are lying idle," he said.

Bangladesh Bank joint director Shantanu Biswas said all kinds of support are being given to agricultural entrepreneurs, and the government is helping with the production of agricultural products.

More than 200 brands from 27 countries are taking part in this year's BAPA Foodpro International Expo at the ICCB.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.