Apply for a Zarkhez-e Farm Loan in Pakistan: Up to Rs 1 Million, No Collateral

Small farmers in Pakistan can apply online for a Zarkhez-e loan at zarkheze.gov.pk, with no collateral. A landowner can get up to Rs 100,000 an acre, to a maximum of Rs 1 million. A tenant can get up to Rs 500,000. You pay a Rs 1,200 processing fee, and the loan is repaid with markup after up to 12 months.

Zarkhez-e, with the tagline "Asaan Digital Zarai Qarza", is the State Bank of Pakistan's digital crop loan for subsistence farmers. You apply on one portal and choose a bank, and you never visit a branch to apply. Most of the money comes as inputs, not cash. We read the State Bank's circular and term sheet, went through the portal's steps, and pulled the markup rate every bank charged on 1 October 2026.

Who can get a Zarkhez-e loan

You must be a resident Pakistani farmer aged 21 to 60, owner or tenant, with a NADRA-verified CNIC and a mobile SIM in your own name. Your land must not exceed 12.5 acres in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AJK or Gilgit-Baltistan, 16 acres in Sindh or 32 in Balochistan.

The State Bank's term sheet and the portal's eligibility list match on these points. Only one application is allowed per farmer. The SIM rule trips up many people: if your phone number is in a relative's name, move it to your own CNIC first. You can check the SIMs on your CNIC in a minute.

The bank also checks your record. The term sheet lists NADRA verification, a sanctions list screen, and a credit bureau check for overdue or written-off loans. If you have an old unpaid loan, look at your credit report before you pay the fee.

How much you can borrow and how the money comes

Landowners get up to Rs 100,000 an acre, capped at Rs 1 million. Tenants get the same per acre, capped at Rs 500,000. The loan goes into a mobile wallet or Asaan account. Most of it can only be spent on seed, fertiliser, pesticide and diesel at approved merchants.

Early repayment is allowed with no penalty. Every borrower gets life cover equal to the loan, so the debt is cleared through insurance if the farmer dies. Crop loan insurance is compulsory for wheat, cotton, rice, sugarcane and maize. The State Bank says the federal government pays that premium for borrowers with up to 25 acres, or 32 in Balochistan.

The portal publishes a merchant list by province and district. Check that a dealer near you is on it before you apply.

Apply on the Zarkhez-e portal in six steps

Sign up at zarkheze.gov.pk or in the Zarkhez-e app, verify your mobile with an OTP, pay the fee through a PSID, then fill in your crop and land details and pin your field on a map. The bank decides after NADRA and land checks.

1. Sign up. Open the Zarkhez-e portal or app, press "Sign Up", read the eligibility rules and fill in the registration form.
2. Verify the OTP. A one-time code comes to your registered mobile number and email.
3. Pay the application fee. Generate a PSID (payment slip ID) from your account and pay it through your bank app, wallet or branch. The term sheet sets the fee at Rs 1,200, to cover NADRA, PMD and land verification. The form unlocks once payment arrives.
4. Fill in the form. Log in with your CNIC and password. Enter your address and household size, then crop type, area and water source. Use the map to pin your farmland. Bank of Punjab applicants then take a short psychometric test, so do not close the window.
5. Wait for the review. Your CNIC and mobile are cross-checked, an agro-tech partner checks your land and crop, and your chosen bank assesses the loan.
6. Get the decision. The bank tells you if it is approved or rejected. The portal has a complaints link if something goes wrong.

Markup rates for Zarkhez-e loans, bank by bank

Rates are not fixed by the government. Each bank adds its own spread to six-month KIBOR, which stood at 12.08% on 1 October 2026. For a new customer, the cheapest was Al Baraka at 18.08%. The most expensive was NRSP Microfinance Bank at a fixed 38%.

We pulled the full table from the portal's rate page on 1 October 2026. It lists 21 banks. The table below shows the rate for a farmer who is new to the bank. Some banks charge their existing customers much less: Allied Bank 16.08%, and Bank of Punjab and Soneri 17.08%.

The gap is real money. On Rs 300,000 for a full year, 20.08% means roughly Rs 60,000 in markup. At 38% it is roughly Rs 114,000. Banks may calculate it slightly differently, but pick your bank on rate, not on which name you know. The portal says spreads hold until the end of the month and may then change.

If your Zarkhez-e loan is refused or delayed

Start with the complaint link on the Zarkhez-e portal and your chosen bank's own complaint desk. If the bank does not resolve it, the State Bank's Sunwai portal and the Banking Mohtasib both take complaints against banks.

Keep your PSID receipt, application number and every SMS. A refusal for a credit bureau overdue is hard to argue with. A refusal because your land did not verify is often fixable: check that your record of rights matches your CNIC, and in Punjab you can get a fard of your land to confirm it. If a bank sits on your file, the Banking Mohtasib is the next step.

One warning. Nobody needs to "process" this loan for you. Agents who ask for money to get a Zarkhez-e loan approved are not part of the scheme. The only payment is the PSID fee on the portal.

Common questions

What is the maximum Zarkhez-e loan?

Rs 1 million for a landowner and Rs 500,000 for a tenant, at up to Rs 100,000 an acre, under the State Bank's term sheet.

Is the Zarkhez-e loan interest-free?

No. Each bank charges markup. On 1 October 2026, rates for new customers ranged from 18.08% to 38% a year.

What is the Zarkhez-e application fee?

The State Bank's term sheet sets a processing fee of Rs 1,200, paid on the portal through a PSID.

Can a tenant farmer apply?

Yes. Tenants and sharecroppers can apply. The maximum for a tenant is Rs 500,000 and up to 15% can be taken as cash.

Do I need to visit a bank branch?

Not to apply. The whole application is online. The term sheet says a bank may visit to check your identity and land.

Can I spend the loan on anything?

No. Most of it is restricted to seed, fertiliser, pesticide and diesel at approved merchants. Landowners can take up to 25% as cash.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 1 October 2026. We read the State Bank of Pakistan's ACFID Circular Letter No. 01 of 2025, dated 14 October 2025, which renamed the National Subsistence Farmers Support Initiative as Zarkhez-e, and its Annexure A term sheet for eligibility, limits, tenor, insurance and the Rs 1,200 fee. We read the zarkheze.gov.pk home page for the six steps and eligibility, and its markup rate page, which gave six-month KIBOR at 12.08% on 1 October 2026 and each bank's spread. We read the State Bank's Crop Loan Insurance Scheme page for the premium rule. We did not submit an application, so the time a bank takes to decide is not tested. The cash share appears as up to 25% in the circular and as 25% for landowners and 15% for tenants in the term sheet; we follow the term sheet.