Govt aims to make farmers self-reliant, prosperous: PM

Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said the government introduced the ‘Farmer Card’ aimed at making farmers self-reliant and financially solvent.

“The goal of the current elected government is to make farmers self-reliant and financially solvent. That is why we have given this ‘Farmer Card’,” he said.

The Premier made the remarks after inaugurating the ‘Farmer Card’ distribution programme at the Shaheed Maruf Stadium in the Sadar Upazila.

On the occasion of the Pahela Boaishakh, the Prime Minister formally launched the pre-pilot programme in 11 upazilas of 10 districts simultaneously by handing over the ‘Farmer Card’ to 15 marginal farmers in Tangail.

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Tarique Rahman launched the programme nationwide by pressing a button on a laptop around 12:22pm while Tk2,500 was transferred directly to the bank accounts of 22,065 farmers each across 11 upazilas. In Tangail 1,453 farmers received the money.

After inaugurating the Farmer Card distribution programme digitally, the Prime Minister handed over the card and saplings to 15 farmers. Addressing them, he said, “When these saplings grow and bear fruit, you should send some for me.”

Speaking on the occasion, he said, “You are aware that through the Krishak Card (Farmer Card), we will try to provide 10 types of services directly to the farmers, InshaAllah. Through these 10 benefits, the farmer will be able to change their conditions in many ways”.

Referring to his party’s election manifesto, the BNP chairman said, “Many of us present here may not be directly involved in farming, but someone in our family is connected to agriculture”.

Out of all the people in Bangladesh, there are 4 crore families and almost every family has some link to farming, meaning agriculture is the main occupation of this country, the Prime Minister added.

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“I personally believe and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the current elected government also believe that if farmers of this country are well-off, if the farmers of this country survive, then the whole of Bangladesh will do well and the people of entire Bangladesh will live well,” he said.

The premier also announced that the government will provide the ‘Farmer Card’ to 2.75 crore farmers gradually over the next five years.

Earlier, Tarique Rahman arrived in Tangail by road from Dhaka and directly joined the ‘Farmer Card’ inaugural ceremony at Shaheed Maruf Stadium.

Referring to initiatives taken during the tenures of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia to support agriculture and farmers, he said, “Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman introduced canal excavation programmes, through which we saw that Bangladesh became roughly self-sufficient in agricultural crops within a year”.

"We witnessed that in 1974, countless people died of starvation in the country. In that Bangladesh, we saw that during Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman tenure, agricultural production doubled due to the digging of canals and the providing irrigation facilities to farmers. At that time, Bangladesh was able to export food abroad, albeit in small quantities,” the Prime Minister added.

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He said that whenever the BNP formed the government, it worked to support farmers.

“You put your trust in BNP in the last election, and, InshAllah, this government will ensure the dignity of that trust of you,” he added.

“I would like to say, now is the time to build our country. Just as we will stand by our farmer brothers, we will also stand by the country's farmer sisters and the women in the country,” said Tarique Rahman.

Noting that half of the country’s population is women, he said without empowering them, national progress would not be possible.

“Therefore, we have promised that if we are able to form the government, we will introduce a family card for mothers and sisters, for women, for female heads of families in Bangladesh. By the grace of Almighty Allah, we have been able to start that work in the form of a pilot project,” the Prime Minister said.

“We will try to extend the benefits of this card to all female-headed families gradually over the next five years,” he added.

Stating that the current government is the government of the people, Tarique Rahman said his government will try to stand by every people of the country regardless of class or profession, including farmers, women, religious leaders, and students.

“Our goal is to ensure the development of the country and change the people’s fate. That is why we say- ‘Korbo Kaj, Gorbo Desh, Sobar Aage Bangladesh’,” he added.

Addressing the countrymen, the Prime Minister urged all to work together for a better Bangladesh.

He said every citizen, regardless of profession, has a common aspiration—to see the country well and beautiful.

Noting that the people want a safe country where children can grow with security and opportunities, Tarique Rahman said, “We want to achieve that goal”.

He sought cooperation of the country’s people to build the country as they dream.

Greeting the people on the occasion of the Pahela Baishakh, the Prime Minister said the festival has historical ties with agriculture and farmers, as it originated from traditional accounting practices linked to farming and trade.

“Since Pahela Baishakh is deeply connected to farmers, we chose this day to launch the ‘Farmer Card’ programme,” he added.

Reflecting other farmer friendly initiatives of his government, Tarique Rahman said agricultural loans up to Tk10,000 have already been waived.

Highlighting the issue of marketing agricultural products and getting fair prices for farmers, he said his government will try to stand by the farmers especially in the northern region of the country and where agriculture is a major part.

The premier said that his government will also try to provide assistance in agriculture and ensure that not only agricultural products are produced, but also measures will be taken to establish factories related to agricultural products in those regions.

“We will take steps so that farmers can get more value for their products and so that we can export our agricultural products abroad,” he said.

Referring to a government’s meeting with businessmen in agriculture and agro-based industry on Monday, the Prime Minister said, “I listened to their problems and we tried to solve many of those problems so that they can invest more, engage more people, and purchase more produce from farmers.”

“This will help farmers on one hand, and on the other, the country will earn valuable foreign currency,” he added.

Highlighting existing challenges, the premier noted that farmers still face multiple problems.

Referring to Tangail’s famous pineapples, Tarique Rahman said that although the production of this pineapple is high, there is a lack of a proper preservation system.

“We cannot preserve pineapples beyond the season. There are no adequate cold storages or processing facilities,” he said, adding that many agricultural products in Bangladesh face similar situation.

If proper processing and cold storage systems are developed, farmers will benefit significantly, said the Prime Minister.

Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid chaired the inaugural function while Prime Minister's Adviser Md Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku spoke as special guests.

Agricultural Secretary Dr Rafiqul I Mohamed delivered the welcome address while Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Bangladesh Jiaoqun Shi also spoke at the function.