AgribusinessBangladesh Bank raised this year's agricultural and rural credit target from Tk 39,000 crore to Tk 60,000 crore, but banks lent Tk 6,858 crore in July and August, 11.43 percent of it; defaults have risen to 42.38 percent of farm loans.
AgribusinessAt Agda's conference, Mathews Phosa said many emerging farmers have not yet had the chance to be banked, and Wandile Sihlobo forecast 8% to 9% farm growth in 2026 amid 20-30% higher fuel and fertiliser costs.
AgribusinessBRAC Bank will assess farmers' and input dealers' creditworthiness from their digital transaction histories in a two-year, Gates Foundation-backed pilot reaching 50,000 farmers and 1,500 input sellers; IFPRI will evaluate the impact.
AgrotechA BIDS-IFPRI study finds only 2 percent of farmers own machinery and combine harvesting rose from 1 percent in 2018 to 20 percent in 2023, yet banks finance little of what is bought.
AgribusinessWith the US Farm Bill expired since 30 September, Agricultural Retailers Association chief Daren Coppock puts the chance of a new bill this year at somewhat less than 50-50, blaming the SNAP dispute.
AgribusinessResearch presented at a BIDS and IFPRI policy dialogue shows rural households borrowing more but spending less of it on farming, three in four rural loans coming from NGOs, repayment burdens rising and banks financing only 2 to 7 percent of farm machinery purchases.
AgribusinessThe Federal Reserve's quarter-point rise in September, its first in three years, will push up variable-rate farm credit lines as farmers already face high costs and thin margins; Idaho economists advise fixing some rates and buying part of next year's fertiliser now.
AgribusinessTk 3,000 crore of Bangladesh Bank's Tk 10,000 crore agricultural refinance fund is set aside for North Bengal; entrepreneurs in farm production, storage, transport, marketing and processing can borrow up to Tk 500,000 without collateral through 39 banks.
AgribusinessThe State of the FPO Sector 2026 report finds 91% of producer companies thinly capitalised, women-led groups short of credit, and calls for restoring a lapsed tax exemption and building federations.
The Kansas City Fed's farm loan repayment index reached 82 in the third quarter, still below 100 but better than the quarter before, as higher corn and soybean prices helped row-crop producers.
At an FNB panel in KwaZulu-Natal, Kwanalu reported financial literacy among trained entrepreneurs rising from 25% to 58%, and a livestock farmer told how weaner deliveries paid for his farm.
AgribusinessAgainst a record Tk 60,000 crore target for 2026-27, July's farm lending fell 44% from June; crops took 40.47%, livestock and poultry 34.90% and fisheries 14.46%, Bangladesh Bank data show.
AgribusinessSouth Africa's land reform department will put R500 million in grants into Land Bank's blended finance scheme for the rest of 2026/27, reopening loans for emerging farmers after a pause.
