PM directs completion of accurate National Farmer Registry by December

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has instructed the relevant authorities to prepare a comprehensive, accurate, and transparent national database of farmers by December.

He issued the directive during a meeting on the Farmer Card initiative held at the Prime Minister's Office in the Secretariat on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister said that information on farmers must be collected through a thorough verification process to ensure that genuine farmers receive the benefits they are entitled to.

He also directed that the new Farmer Cards, featuring photographs and QR codes, should contain not only identification details but also information on agricultural production, government assistance, and agricultural market services.

Officials at the meeting said that the process of opening bank accounts for farmers has already begun.

Once the necessary preparations are completed, Farmer Cards will be distributed in phases.

The government's objective is to ensure that agricultural subsidies, concessional loans, incentives, and other government support are delivered quickly and transparently to genuine farmers. The Farmer Card program is being introduced to facilitate that goal.

According to officials, 4.3 million farmers are expected to be brought under the program during the current fiscal year. The government plans to expand the initiative to cover approximately 20 million farmers nationwide over the next three years.