A meeting participated by Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdullah Al Noman, bankers concerned and poultry industry representatives yesterday decided that public sector banks will reschedule default loans as well as hand out fresh loans to defaulter poultry farms.

According to the decision, a defaulter poultry farm borrower will now be able to reschedule the defaulted loan by making a down payment of 10-20 percent of the principal loan amount. In this case, the lending bank will hold one year's interest on the rescheduled loan as a 'block account'.

The decision also makes loan defaulter poultry farms eligible to get fresh bank loans.

At yesterday's meeting, the finance minister approved a proposal to bestow 20 percent rebate on power tariff for agro-based industries, including the poultry farms. He also agreed to withdraw a budget proposal of 7.5 percent import duty on poultry medicine.

Poultry sector representatives said, following a press report on presence of toxicity in poultry feed, many small farms had to shut down. The industry was further dealt with a severe blow last year when bird flue scare gripped the world, including Bangladesh's poultry consumers.