Iraqi peasants receive 20bn ID in loans

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The total sum of loans granted to Iraqi peasants from August 1, 2008 to April 2, 2009 exceeded 20 billion Iraqi dinars, a senior official said on Thursday. “One of the most important initiatives of the Iraqi Agricultural Bank is its support for the agricultural sector, which aims to enable farmers and peasants to cover the costs of agricultural projects…,” the director of the bank, Mohammed Hadi al-Khafaji, said in a statement that was published on the official web site of the Iraqi Ministry of Finance. Over 11,000 peasants have benefited from the loans, Khafaji explained. SS (P)/SR 1