LAHORE, Sept 16: State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Husain on Tuesday assured farmers increase in the amount of loan and cut in markup rate.

He was talking to farmers at the Lahore Press Club, where he had gone on the invitation of the Aiwan-i-Ziarat.

Dr Ishrat said the government was alive to the importance of agriculture and its role in the national development.

The farmers demanded that the amount of loan should be increased from current Rs60 billion to Rs100 billion, though the total requirement was around Rs200 billion.

The SBP governor said the government would try to increase it as much as it could and also reduce the markup rate as it has done in the case of Bank of Punjab.

The government considered the Aiwan-i-Ziarat as important as chambers of commerce in the country.

Dr Ishrat promised to persuade commercial banks to give agriculture preference in accordance with the government policy.