June 24, 2002	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 12, 1423

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BADIN, June 23: The representatives of growers’ associations of Badin district have condemned the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan for its negative attitude towards growers and said the ADBP had made the president’s Loan Relief Package to the growers meaningless.

Abdul Jabbar Gopang, the president of the Laar Abadgars Association, Raees Abdul Qadir, Irfan Gujjar, the chairman of the Laar Bachayo Tehrik, Mehmood Ghuman, and others said the president’s decision to waive of mark up on loan up to Rs100,000 and write off loan up to Rs25,000 was welcomed by the growers of the calamity-hit areas.

The growers said the ADBP was depriving the loan defaulters of the relief as the defaulters would have to pay the capital loan amount by June 30.

He said it was not possible for the defaulters to return the capital loan amounts to the bank within few days as they had yet to harvest their crops.

They said the president’s relief package for growers had been made “conditional” by the ADBP and added that if the condition to return the capital loan amount was not removed, hardly eight per cent growers, mostly landlords, would benefit from the package.