Staff Reporter<:/strong>
Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid yesterday said primarily 22,065 farmers are getting ‘Farmers’ Card’ or Krishi Card across the country aiming to bring the coun-try’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 In-formation 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 agricul-ture 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 [elec-toral manifesto] is to develop a self-reliant climate tolerant technology-based and agriculture-based mod-ern farming system.
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 Farm-ers’ 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.
