The Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC) said Friday that it issued 1.26 trillion yuan (200 billion U.S. dollars) in loans in 2012.

The bank's outstanding loans reached 2.18 trillion yuan at the end of December, up from 2.07 trillion yuan at the end of June, Zheng Hui, the bank's president, said at an annual work meeting.

The lender's non-performing loan ratio decreased below the 1-percent mark for the first time, dipping to 0.99 percent at the end of December, according to Zheng.

ADBC extended 260.46 billion yuan in loans to fund 1,788 rural infrastructure projects last year.

Zheng said the bank will continue to promote agricultural development by financing state-invested projects, especially in poor rural regions, while preventing credit risks.

ADBC said earlier this week that its profits jumped 16.6 percent year on year to hit 48.48 billion yuan in 2012. Endi