Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the “Farmer Card” program on the upcoming Pohela Boishakh. On the launch day, he will distribute the cards among farmers in Tangail Sadar upazila.
As part of fulfilling an election pledge, the government is set to distribute these cards under a pre-piloting initiative. The decision was made at a meeting between the prime minister and officials of the Farmer Card formulation cell at the Cabinet Division in the Secretariat this afternoon, according to Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.
Atikur Rahman Rumon said the program will be launched simultaneously in 11 upazilas, including Tangail Sadar, on Pohela Boishakh. In the first phase, 21,500 farmers in these areas will receive financial assistance through mobile banking.
He added that the card will be issued to farmers and producers in the agriculture, fisheries, and livestock sectors. It will function as a banking debit card. Landless, marginal, and small-scale farmers will receive an annual incentive of Tk2,500 through the card to purchase agricultural inputs.
Using the card, farmers will be able to buy fertilizer, seeds, pesticides, and animal feed.
Besides Tangail, the program will also be launched in Kamalapur and Boda in Panchagarh, Shibganj in Bogra, Shailkupa in Jhenaidah, Nesarabad in Pirojpur, Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, Adarsha Sadar in Comilla, Islampur in Jamalpur, Goalanda in Rajbari, and Juri in Moulvibazar.
Officials at the meeting believe the proposed Farmer Card will ensure a reliable identification system for farmers nationwide. It is also expected to improve transparency and efficiency in distributing agricultural subsidies, loans, seeds, fertilizers, and other government support.
The meeting also discussed the use of modern technology for digital data storage and management of farmers’ information.
Among those present at the meeting were Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, and Food Minister Aminur Rashid Yasin; State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku; Economic and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir ; State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam; and Posts, Telecommunications and ICT, and Science and Technology Adviser Rehan Asif Asad, along with senior officials from the relevant ministries.
