A mid-term consultation on loan repayment behaviour among rural people was or1 ised by the Centre for Inn ted Rural Development in Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in Islamabad recently, reports . BSS.

rhe project was initiated in five member countries, includ-mg Nepal and Pakistan in 1993 with financial assistance trom Japan.

The project aim's to help improve access to institutional credit by the rural people and make credit programmes more viable.

The research focused on analysing the loan repayment behaviour of the rural people itxier different credit programmes in the participating louniries — identifying the factors governing timely repayment of the credit.

Country studies were reviewed at the meeting which particularly dwelt with some common problems like the low prices oi agricultural produce, failure of the production plans due to natural calamities and inefficient credit monitoring.

The consultation meeting -suggested several, steps like group formation, training, in-come generating activities, technical services, paving mobilisation and seed money as a part of the action phase to improve the loan repayment behaviour among the rural poor.

There will also be two implementation bodies at the country level-advisory committee (PAC) and. the project management committee IPMA). The consultation also suggested to Involve the existing lending institution and NGOs. wherever applicable.

CIRDAP Director Dr Som-pom Hangporipangdh and programme officers concerned abended the meeting'.