Govt. to distribute 2.4 crore farmer’s cards in 4 years
The government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is implementing a large-scale programmes aimed at registering the farmers, providing agricultural input support, and distributing 'Farmer’s Cards' across the country in phases.
Under the scheme, the government has set a target to bring about 2.4 crore farmers over the next four years, while for the current fiscal 2026-27, efforts are underway to distribute farmers’ cards among 43 lakh farmers.
The programme will be implemented across 14,180 agricultural blocks located in 503 upazilas across the country. Activities such as collecting farmer data, opening bank accounts, distributing cards through a pre-pilot phase, and providing agricultural input support are already in progress. The programme was launched simultaneously on October 1 in 77 upazilas across 56 districts.
Through the Farmer’s Card distribution programme, the government aims to build an integrated database of farmers and facilitate the delivery of financial and agricultural input support to them. In the initial phase, special emphasis is being placed on landless, marginal, and small-scale farmers.
Data collection for the nationwide programme has already begun. According to available information, progress has been made in 1,681 agricultural blocks across 503 upazilas in 64 districts. So far, data from 19.25 lakh farmers has been collected in these blocks, and 9 lakh bank accounts related to the Farmer’s Card have been opened.
The collection of farmer’s data and the opening of bank accounts constitute a crucial part of the programme's initial implementation phase. Plans are in place to expand the distribution of Farmer’s Cards in subsequent stages. As part of the process to evaluate the implementation of the 'Farmer’s Card' (Krishak Card) programme and to carry out preliminary operations, a pre-pilot phase was conducted from March to June of this year.
During this phase, Farmer’s Cards were distributed among 20,832 farmers across 11 agricultural blocks, located in 11 upazilas within 10 districts across the country's eight divisions.
The pre-pilot distribution of Farmer’s Cards was officially inaugurated on April 14, 2026 — the first day of the Bangla New Year — in Tangail Sadar Upazila. Subsequently, the programme was implemented in the designated areas.
Under this pre-pilot phase, financial incentives were provided to 20,480 landless, marginal, and small-scale farmers. A total of Taka 5.12 crore was distributed, with each farmer receiving Taka 2,500 annually.
Following the experience gained from this pre-pilot phase, initiatives were taken to expand the programme to a wider area. As part of this, the programme was simultaneously launched in selected upazilas across various districts in October.
On October 1, 2026, the Farmer’s Card programme was launched virtually across 77 upazilas in 56 districts. For this phase, one agricultural block was selected from each upazila, bringing the total number of participating agricultural blocks to 77.
In this phase, the programme aims to bring 110,165 farmers, including 7,643 farmers from six upazilas in Feni district under the programme. In addition to expanding the Farmer’s Card programme, plans have been made to provide agricultural input support, with priority given to landless, marginal, and small-scale farmers.
According to official data, 1,00,047 farmers are set to receive agricultural input support in this phase. This includes 7,153 farmers from six upazilas in Feni district and 92,894 farmers from the remaining 55 districts.
Under the programme, the process of collecting farmer information is being carried out alongside the opening of bank accounts. According to available data, information on 19.25 lakh farmers has been collected so far, and the number of bank accounts linked to the 'Farmer’s Card' (Krishak Card) has stood at 9 lakh.
Progress in data collection has been made across 1,681 agricultural blocks, spanning 503 upazilas in 64 districts of the country. This serves as a crucial preparatory step for the nationwide implementation of the programme.
Achieving the target of enrolling about 2.4 crore farmers over four years will require the collection and management of data for a vast number of people. Given this, it is essential to consistently monitor the progress of data collection, registration, bank account opening, and card distribution under the programme.
Rather than implementing the Farmer’s Card programme simultaneously across all agricultural blocks in the country, a phased expansion plan has been adopted. Initially, 7,643 cards will be distributed among farmers across six agricultural blocks in six upazilas of Feni.
For the current fiscal 2026-27, a target has been set to bring 43 lakh farmers under the programme. Up-to-date information regarding farmer registration, card distribution, the opening of bank accounts, and the provision of agricultural input support will be vital in assessing progress toward this goal.
The programme is designed to bring a large number of farmers under a unified, integrated framework. Efforts to implement the programme nationwide are ongoing, drawing on lessons from the initial phase and scaling up card distribution in line with the operational capacities of participating banks.
The 'Programme on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience in Bangladesh' (PARTNER) project is playing a key role in implementing the Farmer Card distribution scheme at the field level.
When asked, the project's Deputy Programme Director (DPD), Md. Rakibuzzaman Khan, told BSS that the process of collecting primary data — such as gathering accurate information about farmers, identifying their specific needs, and facilitating the modernisation of agriculture — is currently underway.
He said since farmers' needs evolve based on specific circumstances, there are certain challenges involved. “However, once a reliable database is established, it will become easier to provide targeted training, introduce modern agricultural technologies, boost productivity, and foster the development of agricultural entrepreneurs.”
Rakibuzzaman said data for 22,000 farmers has already been collected. By integrating data and activities through the Farmer’s Card programme, it will be possible to connect farmers with various agricultural services and enhance the effectiveness of government initiatives at the field level, he said.
When asked, Md Eyasin, Additional Secretary (Krishak Card Cell) at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the primary objective of the Farmer Card programme is to maintain accurate data on farmers and to streamline the process of delivering government assistance to them.
To this end, he said, activities such as collecting and verifying farmer information, opening bank accounts, and the phased distribution of the cards are being carried out in a coordinated manner.
Agriculture Secretary Md Salim Khan said the programme is a significant initiative designed to bring the country’s farmers under a unified database, which will facilitate the identification of genuine farmers, ensure the delivery of agricultural inputs and financial support tailored to their specific needs, and bring greater discipline to agricultural service operations.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman — who is deeply committed to agriculture and farmers - introduced the 'Farmer’s Card' for their welfare. In accordance with the directives and guidance of the Prime Minister, 2.4 crore farmers will get these cards over the next four years.
Salim Khan said the Farmer’s Card will allow farmers access to 10 distinct services, which include soft agricultural loans, irrigation support, fertilizers, seeds, government incentives, agricultural insurance, weather updates, and expert advice on pest control.
Beyond these practical benefits, the Farmer’s Card serves as a gesture of respect toward farmers, symbolising the government’s steadfast support for them, he said.
Source: BSS