The government wants to launch the Krishak Card, or farmer card, at a pre-pilot stage on Pohela Boishakh, and plans to bring all farmers under the service within the next four years. Through the card, landless, marginal and small farmers will get Tk 2,500 a year directly in cash, along with 10 other kinds of benefits.
On Pohela Boishakh, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will launch the Krishak Card at the pre-pilot stage in 11 blocks of 11 upazilas in 10 districts across eight divisions.
In this first round, 22,065 people have been included: farmers, fish farmers and fishers, livestock farmers and dairy farmers, covering landless, marginal, small, medium and large farmers of every class. Salt farmers have also been included.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid gave this information at a press conference in the conference room of the Department of Information at the Secretariat on Sunday, held to mark the launch of the card distribution programme.
Farmers will receive incentives and services through the card, and will be able to buy fertiliser, seed, fish and animal feed and other farm inputs using POS (point of sale) machines supplied to the relevant dealers.
The 10 main services
- Farm inputs at fair prices
- Irrigation at fair prices
- Farm loans on easy terms
- Farm machinery at low prices
- Government subsidies and incentives
- Weather forecasts and market information on mobile phones
- Agricultural training
- Advice on controlling crop pests and diseases
- Crop insurance
- The opportunity to sell farm produce at fair prices
Where the pre-pilot will run
At the pre-pilot stage the programme will be launched in Kamalapur block of Sadar upazila, Panchagarh; Uthli block of Shibganj upazila, Bogura; Kripalpur block of Shailkupa upazila, Jhenaidah; Rajabari block of Nesarabad upazila, Pirojpur; Rajarchhara block of Teknaf upazila, Cox's Bazar; Aranapur block of Adarsha Sadar upazila, Cumilla; Suruj block of Tangail Sadar upazila, Tangail; Tenapancha block of Goalanda upazila, Rajbari; Fultala block of Juri upazila, Moulvibazar; Panchpir block of Boda upazila, Panchagarh; and Gaibandha block of Islampur upazila, Jamalpur.
The press conference was told that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the pre-pilot distribution of the Krishak Card on Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the new year, at Shaheed Maruf Stadium in Tangail.
The card will be given in three phases: first the pre-pilot, starting on Pohela Boishakh, then a pilot, and then all farmers across the country will be included. The press conference was told there are about 2.27 crore farmers in the country. Digital agricultural services will be introduced nationwide through the card within the next four years.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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