The government’s “Krishok Card” (Farmer Card) scheme has enrolled 90,854 farmers across four districts of the Khulna agriculture region in its first phase. Eligible farmers were selected through block-level surveys. Two of the three survey phases have already been completed, with the third under way. Once complete, the number of farmers in this first round is expected to exceed 100,000.
The Khulna agriculture region comprises Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Narail districts. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, a seven-member committee headed by the upazila executive officer (UNO) was formed in every upazila across the four districts to identify eligible farmers for the card.
Initially, 28,403 farmers were identified as eligible in Khulna district, 29,685 in Satkhira, 26,338 in Bagerhat and 6,428 in Narail. The names of the remaining eligible farmers in these districts will be finalised in phases and sent to the relevant banks.
Under the scheme, cardholding farmers will receive 2,500 taka in financial assistance annually through Janata Bank, Sonali Bank and Bangladesh Krishi Bank. There are plans to bring a total of 1,191,104 farmers across the Khulna agriculture region under the scheme over five years.
The Department of Agricultural Extension said that alongside financial assistance, the farmer card will provide access to a range of benefits, including fair-priced irrigation services, training, farm machinery support, pest control advice, agricultural marketing, crop insurance, subsidies and incentives, credit, and agricultural inputs.
Rafiqul Islam, additional director of the Department of Agricultural Extension for the Khulna region, said farmers will receive the card through banks, and that it can also be used as a debit card.