The country’s 55th budget, announced for fiscal 2026-27, will give “Farmer Cards” to 42.5 lakh farmers, fish farmers, livestock farmers and salt producers across 100 upazilas, with 1,062 crore 50 lakh taka proposed for the cards. Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury announced the budget in parliament at about 3pm on Thursday (11 June), at a session chaired by Speaker Dr Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.
The government formally launched the “Farmer Card” programme on the last Pahela Baishakh to deliver 10 services to marginal communities. As a pre-piloting of the programme in 2025-26, cards were given to 22,065 farmers in 11 blocks of 11 upazilas in 10 districts across the country’s eight divisions. The parliamentary session began with a recitation from the Quran; earlier that morning, a special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman approved the proposed 2026-27 national budget.
Bangladesh began its journey in 1972 with a 786 crore taka budget; over more than five decades, the scope of the economy has grown along with the size of development programmes and state spending. This is the first budget of the BNP-led government since its victory in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election on 12 February, and to deliver on a large election manifesto the government has prepared the biggest budget in the country’s history — 9,38,000 crore taka. The total revenue target is set at 6,95,000 crore taka, with the rest raised from domestic and foreign loans and development-partner support. The deficit may stand at 2,51,000 crore taka — about 3.6 percent of GDP. To meet it, the government plans to raise 1,16,000 crore taka from foreign loans and grants and 1,27,000 crore taka from domestic sources — 1,12,000 crore from the banking system and 15,000 crore from savings certificates and other sources. Through the budget the government aims to energise economic activity, ease business regulation, develop human resources and move Bangladesh toward a “trillion-dollar economy.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report