B Mirror Report: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to formally launch the Farmer Card on a pilot basis on April 14, coinciding with the first day of the Bangla New Year 1433. The decision was made at a review meeting held at the Cabinet Division Conference Room in the Bangladesh Secretariat, chaired by the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, Saleh Shibly, confirmed that a four-member secretary committee, led by the Finance Secretary, has been formed to oversee the programme. The meeting was attended by Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, and State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, among others.
According to Shibly, the Farmer Card is more than just a card; it symbolizes the rights, dignity, and security of every farmer in Bangladesh, placing them in a position of priority and respect. Through the card, farmers will gradually receive a variety of services, including access to agricultural inputs at fair prices, government subsidies and incentives, affordable agricultural machinery, irrigation facilities, agricultural loans on easy terms, insurance benefits, opportunities to sell crops at fair prices, training programs, digital access to weather and market information, and guidance on crop diseases and pest control.
The programme will also cover fish farmers, livestock rearers, and dairy farmers. During the pre-pilot phase, information from all categories of farmers will be collected, and Farmer Cards will be distributed across nine blocks under nine upazilas in eight divisions of the country over the next 45 days. The proposed upazilas include Tangail Sadar, Shibganj (Bogura), Panchagarh Sadar, Islampur (Jamalpur), Shailkupa (Jhenaidah), Nesarabad (Pirojpur), Juri (Moulvibazar), Cumilla Sadar, and Teknaf (Cox’s Bazar).
Financial grants will also be provided to specific categories of farmers for crop production during the Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 seasons, with each landless, marginal, and small farmer receiving an average assistance of Taka 2,500. The programme will be implemented by the Department of Agricultural Extension under the Ministry of Agriculture.
After the completion of the pre-pilot phase, the formal inauguration of the Farmer Card distribution programme will take place on Pahela Baishakh, 1433 Bangla year. Following the pilot stages, the Farmer Card programme is planned to be rolled out in all upazilas of the country within the next four years.
