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Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has instructed the compilation of a complete, accurate, and transparent list of all farmers in the country by next December. He stated that this initiative must be completed through proper verification to ensure the rights of genuine farmers.
The Prime Minister issued this directive to the relevant officials at a meeting concerning farmer cards, held at the Cabinet Division in the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday (August 4) afternoon. The Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu confirmed the matter.
He informed that the Prime Minister instructed that farmer cards, featuring photos and QR codes, must include provisions for storing information related to agricultural production, government assistance, and agricultural product marketing, in addition to the farmer’s identity. Instructions were also given to complete the design and preparation of the farmer cards, taking these aspects into consideration.
The meeting was informed that the process of opening bank accounts for farmers has already commenced. Farmer cards will be distributed to farmers in phases once the necessary preparations are complete.
This farmer card has been introduced to ensure that government agricultural subsidies, easy-term loans, incentives, and other government benefits reach genuine farmers quickly and easily. In the current fiscal year, 4.3 million farmers will come under the ambit of this card. There are plans to include approximately 20 million farmers in this program within the next three years.
Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Amin Ur Rashid, State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Prime Minister’s Advisor Mahdi Amin, Principal Secretary A.B.M. Abdus Sattar, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Shakirul Islam Khan, BNP Special Editor Belayet Hossain, President of Bangladesh Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Limited S.M. Amir Hamza Shatil, along with secretaries and senior officials from relevant ministries and divisions, were present at the meeting.