Fisheries, Livestock, and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid spoke today at a press conference held in the PID conference room at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Photo: PID

DHAKA, April 12, 2026 (BSS) - Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister 
Mohammed Aminur Rashid today said primarily 22,065 farmers are getting 
Farmers' Card or Krishi Card across the country aiming to bring the country's 
agriculture, fisheries and livestock under a smart database.

"Farmers Cards will be given among 22,065 farmers under 11 upazilas of 10 
districts across the country in the first phase," he said.

The agriculture minister said this in a press conference at the PID 
conference room at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting here.

Prime Minister (PM) Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the card distribution 
ceremony in Tangail during the Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New 
Year.

PM's Adviser on Finance and Planning Ministries Professor Rashed Al Mahmud 
Titumir, Agriculture Secretary Dr Rafiqul I Mohamed and Fisheries and 
Livestock Secretary Md Delwar Hossain were also present at the press 
briefing.

At the outset of the meeting, the minister recalled the name of BNP 
Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia with deep respect.

"Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has given a clear outline to ensure overall 
development of the agriculture and safe food along with increasing socio-
economic status and ensuring financial inclusion of the farmers in the 
electoral manifestoes disclosed by the BNP," he said, adding that the main 
target of it [electoral manifesto] is to develop a self-reliant climate 
tolerant technology-based and agriculture-based modern farming system.

The production and marketing will be held under this technology-based modern 
farming system, the minister told the briefing.

Since agriculture is a key driving force of the national economy, he said the 
prime minister has included the Krishi Card distribution for each farmer 
under the purview government's priority programme aiming at empowering the 
farmers.
 
The main goal of launching the Krishi card is to ensure the financial 
inclusion of the farmers and building a corruption-free society through 
digitalisation of the agriculture sector, Rashid said.

For distribution of the Krishi Card, he said the farmers have been 
categorized in five segments according to the land ownership which includes 
landless, marginal, small, medium and big farmers. 

The Krishi Card will be distributed among all the farmers of the country in 
phases. The card distribution will be implemented in three stages like pre-
piloting, piloting and nationwide programme.
 
Under the piloting phase, Aminur Rashid said along with the crop producing 
farmers, the programme also has included fish farmers, fishermen and 
livestock farmers, landless, marginal, small and big farmers located in 11 
blocks under 11 upazilas of 10 districts under the eight divisions across the 
country.

Under the pre-piloting phase, the Farmers' Cards will be distributed among 
the farmers of the selected districts and blocks like Kamlapur block of 
Panchagarh Sadar upazila, Uthli block under Shibganj upazila of Bogura 
district, Kripalpur block under Shailokupa upazila of Jenaidah district, 
Rajabari block under Nesarabad upazila of Pirojpur district,
Rajarchara block under Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar district, Aryannapur 
block under Cumilla Adarsha Sadar upazila, Suruj block under Tangail Sadar 
upazila, Tenapocha block under Goalanda upazila of Rajbari district, Fultala 
block under Juri upazila of Moulvibazar district, Panchpir block under Goda 
upazila of Panchagarh district and Gaibandha block under Islampur upazila of 
Jamalpur district.

Rashid said farmers, fish farmers, livestock farmers and salt farmers of 
these 11 blocks will get the Farmers' Card.

Terming the Krishi Card as a banking debit card, the agriculture minister 
said bank accounts have been opened in the name of the concerned farmers 
against this card at the local branch offices of the state-owned Sonali Bank.
 
At the press briefing, he noted that all the required information of a total 
22,065 farmers has been collected till April 11, this year. Of the farmers, 
46 are landless, 9,458 are marginal, 896 are small, 1,303 are medium and 51 
big farmers.
 
Of the verified farmers, 2,141 are crop producers, 66 are fishermen, 85 
livestock farmers, three are salt farmers and 20,631 are landless, marginal 
and small farmers which are 93.7 percent of the total farmers.

The landless, marginal and small farmers will get Taka 2,500 as cash directly 
through the card annually under the piloting phase.

Under the card, the farmers will get incentives and services along with 
purchasing of various agricultural inputs including fertilizer, fisheries and 
animal feed by using the 'POS print sale machine' provided to the concerned 
dealers.
 
The monetary cost for the pre-piloting programme will be Taka 4.34 crore. 

The piloting programme will be concluded in 15 upazilas across the country 
until this year after successfully concluding the pre-piloting programme.

After the piloting, the government has a plan to complete the card 
distribution and database preparation step by step in light of the experience 
of the piloting programme in the next four years across the country.

On the first day of Baishakh, the beginning of Bengali New Year, the 
inauguration of Farmers' Card distribution will be held under the pre-
piloting phase. 

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the opening of the card at 
Maruf stadium of Shahidpur in Tangail on that day.

Excluding the Aryannapur block under Adarsha Sadar upazila of Cumilla 
district, the Farmers' Card will be distributed among the farmers located at 
nine blocks across the country. 

The farmers' card will be distributed at this block on April 17, this year.

Although agriculture is a respectable and dignified profession and this 
Krishi Card distribution will also more glorify the dignity of the farmers, 
said the minister.

The card will ensure all the legal services of the farmers and more new time-
appropriate services also will be added through this card. 

Highlighting the agriculture sector as the economic backbone of the country, 
Aminur Rashid said the future of the country is now in the hands of the 
farmers and the government is working to restore the land fertility, soil 
properties and diversity of the crops.

 "This card will help to bring the country's agriculture, fisheries and 
livestock under a smart database and will be helpful to curb fertilizer 
wastage, demand-wise crop production and bring farmers compensation to the 
government's attention," the minister concluded.