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Default loans worth Tk 5.0 billion belonging to six state-owned banks, including two specialised ones, remains stuck against 159,534 cases filed to recover the money from farm loan borrowers, sources said.
Between January 1991 and April 2019, some 11,689 debtors could not be traced even after warrants of certificate cases were issued.
Statistics show 857 cases were settled last April to recover Tk 43 million, but 166 new cases involving Tk 15.1 million were filed during the same time.
Until April, Bangladesh Krishi Bank had the highest 77,766 cases pending, involving Tk 2.59 billion.
In the same month, some 348 cases involving Tk 21.7 million were settled.
But the bank could not trace 4,518 borrowers after warrants involving Tk 137.9 million were served at the end of April.
In the same month, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank had 25,032 pending cases involving over Tk 1.32 billion.
It issued 2,565 warrants involving Tk 143 million until April, but the borrowers could not be traced.
Agrani Bank had 22,651 pending cases under which Tk 222.5 million remained stuck until April.
It settled 180 cases and filed 10 fresh ones in the same month. It issued 1,581 warrants involving Tk 43.4 million, but the borrowers could not be traced.
Janata Bank had 16,092 pending cases where Tk 380 million remained stuck until April last.
It settled 57 cases and filed 44 fresh ones in the same month.
It had served 1,696 warrants of certificate cases involving Tk 32.8 million. Here too, the borrowers could not be found.
Until April, Sonali Bank had 14,274 pending cases involving Tk 423.1 million. It settled only 69 cases in the same month but filed 23 fresh ones.
The bank issued 960 warrants at the end of the same month to borrowers who could not be traced.
Until the end of April, Rupali Bank had 3,689 pending cases involving Tk 66.5 million.
The central bank and the government authorities concerned recently laid stress on reducing the number of such cases and recovering the money involved.
"We're constantly asking the banks to bring down the number of cases and also to be careful while granting new loans," a senior Bangladesh Bank official cited.
The district agriculture coordination committees, led by deputy commissioners (DCs), review the cases and give directives to this end.
The DCs also ask local bank managers and executive officers of sub-districts to settle the cases as early as possible in order to recover money.