Year
2026
Reform Domain
Manifesto Watch
Reform Proposed
Reform Initiated
Legal and Policy Framework
Operationalisation
Action Implementation
Stage of Implementation
Reform Proposed
This pledge has been articulated in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s election manifesto for Bangladesh’s 13th national election.
Reform Initiated
On March 2, a four-member secretary-level committee was formed to prepare an action plan within 7 days. A committee led by the Finance Secretary has been formed to oversee implementation.
Legal and Policy Framework
Lead Ministry:
The Farmers’ Card programme is designed and administered by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Finance:
For the pre pilot phase, the government has allocated approximately Tk 8.34 crore. Financial support under the card targets landless, marginal, and small farmers, with eligible beneficiaries receiving Tk 2,500 per year in direct cash support. Transfers will be delivered through Sonali Bank debit card accounts.
Scope:
The Farmers’ Card is a banking enabled debit card, issued through Sonali Bank, with each card linked to a dedicated bank account opened in the farmer’s name. Cardholders will be able to purchase fertiliser, seed, feed, and other inputs through Point of Sale (POS) machines provided to authorised dealers.
Phasing:
The programme is explicitly structured into three sequential phases:
1. Pre piloting (test phase) – launched on 14 April 2026
2. Piloting – planned to expand to 15 upazilas by August 2026
3. Nationwide rollout – planned over the subsequent four years
Beneficiaries include not only crop farmers but also fishers, livestock and poultry farmers, dairy farmers, and salt farmers (where applicable). Farmers are categorised into five groups—landless, marginal, small, medium, and large—allowing differentiated benefit design. The government’s stated objective is to distribute approximately 1 crore 65 lakh (16.5 million) Farmers’ Cards nationwide and establish a consolidated farmer information database over four years.
Operationalisation
The pre pilot began on 14 April 2026 with the distribution of Farmers’ Cards to approximately 22,000 farmers across 11 upazilas in Ten districts.
The Farmer’s Card programme was formally launched on 14 April 2026 through a pre pilot inauguration held in Tangail, where the Prime Minister digitally activated the system. At the moment of launch, cash transfers of Tk 2,500 were automatically credited to eligible beneficiaries’ bank accounts, with confirmation delivered via mobile phones.
Observation
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The Farmers’ Card programme reflects a structured progression from political commitment to pre pilot implementation, with clearly articulated phasing, digitised systems, banking integration, and multi sectoral benefits. The inclusion of diverse agricultural actors (crop, fisheries, livestock, salt farming) and classification of farmers by scale strengthens the programme’s policy breadth.However, as of now, the initiative remains at a pre implementation threshold. Moreover, the absence of a codified nationwide legal framework, publicly defined eligibility thresholds beyond the farmer category, and disclosed monitoring or grievance redress performance indicators limits early assessment of targeting accuracy and accountability.