To make government assistance more transparent and target-oriented, the ‘Farmer Card’ program will be inaugurated on Poyala Boishakh. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally launch the program by distributing cards among farmers in Tangail Sadar Upazila on that day.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister at the Cabinet Division of the Secretariat on Tuesday. Officials concerned said that the program is being launched initially on a limited scale as part of the election promise.
In the first phase, activities will be launched simultaneously in a total of 11 upazilas of the country, including Tangail Sadar. It plans to provide direct financial assistance to about 21,500 farmers through mobile banking.
This card has been designed primarily for farmers and ranchers in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors. It will work like a debit card and will be used as a means of directly receiving government subsidies and assistance. There is a proposal to provide incentives of up to 2500 taka per year for landless, marginal and small farmers, with which they can buy fertilizers, seeds, pesticides and animal feed.
Project officials say that the launch of this card will create a reliable digital identity for farmers. At the same time, it will increase transparency and accountability in the subsidy, agricultural credit, and input distribution system.
According to policymakers, if this pilot initiative is successful, it can be expanded across the country in phases, which could help bring about structural changes in the agricultural sector.