TDS Desk:

Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) has set a target of disbursing loans worth Taka 4,100 crore for increasing crop production and boosting rural economy everywhere in the country’s northwest zone during the current 2024-25 fiscal year.

The loans are being disbursed through 383 branches in the country’s northwest zone consisting of all 16 districts under Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.

Side by side with the disbursement, the bank will recover loans worth Taka 4,200 crore, including classified loans worth Taka 450 crore, during the current fiscal. It has also set target of collecting deposit of Taka 1,000 crore

During the previous 2023-2024 fiscal, the bank disbursed Taka 3,836 crore loans against the target of Taka 3,800 crore, while loan recovery figure was Taka 4,183 crore, including classified loans of Taka 456 crore, against the target of 3,437crore, including classified loans of Taka 523 crore.

Niranjan Chandra Debnath, Managing Director of RAKUB, told BSS that they have attained a neat profit worth Taka 2.98 crore together with attaining cherished success in all financial indicators during the previous financial year.

“We have attained a neat profit overcoming the losses of Taka 224.15 crore incurred in the previous 2022-2023 financial year,” he said.

At present, the number of loss-making branches has been reduced to 12, declining the number to 48 in the last fiscal year from the previous year’s 60.

Apart from this, deposit and debit balances have been inclined to Taka 7,180 crore and Taka 7,837 crore from the previous year’s Taka 6,777 crore and Taka 7,587 crore respectively.

On the contrary, the balance of classified loans has been reduced to Taka 1,242 crore from Taka 1,430 crore reaching the classified loan to 16 percent from 19 percent.

Niranjan Chandra Debnath also said the RAKUB clients are availing the scopes of opening bank accounts and paying bills of various utility services staining in home.

As the largest development partner in agriculture as well as agro-based industry sector of northwest Bangladesh, currently, the bank has adopted the effective work plan which is being implemented at the grassroots level to make the credit programs easier.

Through 383 branches, RAKUB has been operating its commercial activities in all the 16 northwest districts of Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions targeting the agricultural sector and all its sub-sectors, including agro-processing and industries.

Apart from this, the bank introduced various modern banking services in all its branches in order to reach banking services to the doorsteps of the public in general.

Around 40 lakh clients of the bank are being benefited in many ways, including banking transactions anytime and from anywhere, bill payment of utility services and opening new bank accounts from home.