News Desk

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to formally inaugurate the Family Card programme on March 10 at 10:00 am at the T&T ground near the Korail slum. Following this, he will launch the Farmer Card initiative on a pilot basis on April 14, coinciding with the first day of Bangla New Year 1433.

The decision was confirmed at a review meeting chaired by the Prime Minister in the Cabinet Division Conference Room at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Saleh Shibly, the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, said a four-member committee, led by the finance secretary, has been formed to oversee implementation of the programme.

The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, and State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam.

According to the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, the Farmer Card is designed to provide farmers with dignity, security, and access to their rightful entitlements. “Farmers will hold the highest priority and respect through this initiative,” he said.

The Farmer Card will offer a comprehensive range of services, including access to agricultural inputs at fair prices, government subsidies, affordable rental of machinery, irrigation facilities, agricultural loans on easy terms, insurance, opportunities to sell produce at fair prices, training programs, and access to weather and market information via digital platforms. Guidance on crop diseases and pest control will also be provided.

The programme will cover not only crop farmers but also fish farmers, livestock rearers, and dairy farmers.

During the 45-day pre-pilot phase, data on farmers across all categories will be collected. Farmer Cards will then be distributed in nine blocks within nine upazilas across eight divisions: Tangail Sadar, Shibganj (Bogura), Panchagarh Sadar, Islampur (Jamalpur), Shailkupa (Jhenaidah), Nesarabad (Pirojpur), Juri (Moulvibazar), Cumilla Sadar, and Teknaf (Cox’s Bazar).

Selected farmers will also receive financial grants for crop production during the Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 seasons, with each landless, marginal, and small farmer receiving an average subsidy of Taka 2,500.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) under the Ministry of Agriculture will implement the programme. After the pre-pilot phase, nationwide distribution of Farmer Cards will begin on Pahela Baishakh, 1433, with plans to expand the initiative to all upazilas across the country over the next four years.