Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will officially launch the pilot distribution of the Farmers’ Card programme on April 14, marking Pahela Baishakh 1433, aiming to strengthen government support and services for farmers across Bangladesh.
The decision was taken at a review meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Wednesday at the Cabinet Division conference room in the Secretariat. Press Secretary Saleh Shibli confirmed the development to the media.
To supervise the large-scale initiative, the government has formed a four-member secretary-level committee led by the Finance Secretary. Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, along with state ministers and senior officials from relevant ministries, attended the meeting.
“The Farmers’ Card will not only serve as an identity document but will represent the rights, dignity and security of farmers in Bangladesh,” Press Secretary Saleh Shibli said.
Through the card, farmers will gradually receive access to various government services, including fair-priced agricultural inputs, subsidies, easy agricultural loans and agricultural insurance.
The programme will not be limited to crop farmers only. Fish farmers and livestock farmers will also be included under the initiative. In addition, farmers will be able to access weather updates, market information and advice on crop diseases and pest control through digital platforms.
As part of the first phase, the government plans to collect data of farmers across the country within the next 45 days. After the data collection, the pre-pilot stage will begin with the distribution of cards in nine selected upazilas across eight divisions.
The selected upazilas include Tangail Sadar, Shibganj in Bogura, Panchagarh Sadar, Islampur in Jamalpur, Shailkupa in Jhenaidah, Nesarabad in Pirojpur, Juri in Moulvibazar, Cumilla Sadar and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) under the Ministry of Agriculture will implement the programme at the field level.
Under the initiative, landless, marginal and small farmers will receive an average Tk 2,500 in direct subsidy or agricultural input support. Financial assistance will also be provided during the Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 farming seasons according to government guidelines.
According to the government’s long-term plan, after completing the pre-pilot and pilot phases, the Farmers’ Card programme will be fully implemented nationwide within the next four years, which officials believe will bring a major transformation to the country’s agricultural sector.
