Govt unveils 7-point agri plan
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday told Parliament that the government has adopted a “time-befitting” seven-point plan aimed at boosting agricultural development and transforming the sector into a sustainable and profitable one.
He made the remarks while replying to a starred question from treasury bench member Md Robiul Awal (Tangail-6) in the House.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh remains an agriculture-dependent country, with the sector playing a vital role in ensuring food security, reducing poverty and supporting overall economic growth.
However, he noted that agriculture is facing multiple challenges, including climate change, population growth, shrinking arable land and technological limitations.
“To face these challenges, the government is working to increase agricultural production and productivity, and turn the sector into a sustainable and profitable one,” he said.
Tarique Rahman informed Parliament that the government has already begun distributing “Farmers’ Cards” from April 14 in line with the BNP’s electoral manifesto.
Through the card, farmers will receive 10 types of services, including fair-priced agricultural inputs, subsidies and incentives, affordable machinery, irrigation support, easy agricultural loans, crop insurance, market access, training, and digital services such as weather updates and pest control advice. He said all farmers would be gradually brought under the scheme.
Outlining the seven-point plan, the Prime Minister said it includes expansion of modern irrigation systems, bringing fallow land under cultivation through crop zoning, diversification of agricultural production, transparent subsidy delivery through Farmers’ Cards, low-interest agricultural loans and crop insurance, construction of cold storage and warehouses, and enhanced agricultural research for high-yielding and resilient crop varieties.
He said the government has already launched a programme to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals over the next five years to expand irrigation coverage.
In addition, agricultural mechanisation will be strengthened through subsidies to make machinery such as tractors, harvesters and reapers more accessible to farmers.
Highlighting land-use reforms, he said crop zoning has been introduced to identify suitable crops based on soil, climate and regional conditions, while initiatives are underway to bring fallow land under cultivation.
The Prime Minister also said the country’s agriculture sector is being diversified beyond rice to include fruits, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, spices and flowers.
“To ensure transparency and accountability in incentives and support programmes for farmers, subsidies will be provided through the Farmers’ Card for seeds, fertilisers, machinery and other inputs,” he said.
He further said low-interest agricultural loans and crop insurance schemes are being introduced, alongside rehabilitation support for disaster-affected farmers.
Modern storage infrastructure is also being expanded, including cold storage facilities, warehouses, mini cold storage units for fruits and vegetables, and air-flow machines for onion preservation.
Plans are underway to establish agricultural export zones and procurement centres in the northern region to boost exports.
On agricultural innovation, he said climate-smart farming will be promoted to reduce dependence on irrigation, chemical fertilisers and pesticides, alongside digital tools such as prepaid meters and farming apps.
Replying to a supplementary question, he said soil fertility has declined due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers, adding: “We want to increase the use of nano fertilisers through soil testing. We aim to reduce fertiliser costs and prevent further degradation of soil fertility.”
In response to another question, he said marginal and small farmers have already been included under the Farmers’ Card scheme, while agricultural labourers would also receive support under future programmes.
