NCC Bank PLC has distributed fertilisers and paddy seeds free of charge among 1,500 marginal farmers in Nilphamari under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.
The agricultural inputs were handed over at a ceremony held at the Shaheed Minar premises in the district town on Thursday.
Shahrin Islam Tuhin, convener of the Engineers Association of Bangladesh (AAB) and a former member of parliament, attended the event as the chief guest.
The programme was chaired by NCC Bank Managing Director M Shamsul Arefin.
Speakers included bank Chairman Md Nurun Newaz, Vice-Chairman Abdus Salam, Executive Committee Chairman Khairul Alam Chakladar, District Council Administrator Advocate Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury Shamim and Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Humayra Mondol, among others.
Addressing the event, Tuhin said NCC Bank had extended support to farmers as part of its social responsibility alongside its regular business activities.
He praised the initiative to distribute agricultural inputs using a portion of the bank’s profits, saying such assistance would help improve farmers’ production capacity.
He also said Nilphamari Government College had around 18,000 students but no bus for their transport.
Considering the difficulties faced by students, he had requested the NCC Bank board to provide a bus.
The bank authorities had accepted the request and started the process of providing one, he added.
NCC Bank Managing Director M Shamsul Arefin said each farmer received 20 kilogrammes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser, 15 kilogrammes of muriate of potash (MOP) fertiliser, 10 kilogrammes of gypsum, one kilogramme of zinc and five kilogrammes of paddy seeds.
The beneficiaries included 500 farmers each from Nilphamari Sadar, Domar and Dimla upazilas, he said.
Domar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shayla Sayeed, Dimla UNO Md Imranuzzaman, former senior joint convener of the district BNP Md Sohel Parvez and Government Pleader (GP) Abu Mohammad Soyem of the District Judge Court were also present, along with political leaders and bank officials.
