Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will distribute 7,000 Farmer Cards among farmers in Feni on 17 September.
Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid announced the programme during a visit to the Fulgazi Government Pilot High School playground in Feni on Saturday morning.
The venue will host the card distribution ceremony.
The government has set an initial budget of Tk681 crore for the nationwide programme.
On the inauguration day, around 1.10 lakh farmers in different parts of the country will receive the cards, with simultaneous launching ceremonies scheduled to take place in 50 districts.
Ministry officials said bank accounts have already been opened for one lakh of the 16.30 lakh farmers registered under the programme so far.
Under the cash assistance scheme, landless, marginal and small farmers holding Farmer Cards will receive Tk2,500 directly into their bank accounts.
Around one lakh farmers are expected to receive the cash incentive on the day the programme is formally launched.
Information relating to another five lakh farmers has already been verified and approved for opening bank accounts, according to the ministry.
“The Farmer Cards will be distributed in each upazila and union, and all farmers will be brought under the programme within the scheduled timeframe,” the minister said at the programme.
The government introduced the card system with the aim of making agricultural subsidies, loans and other incentives more easily accessible to farmers.
Speaking about fertiliser supplies, the agriculture minister said there is no shortage of fertiliser in the country.
He alleged that a “vicious circle” is attempting to create disorder in the fertiliser distribution system.
The Farmer Card programme will be rolled out in three stages – pre-pilot, pilot and nationwide expansion.
During the pre-pilot stage, farmers involved in crop production, fisheries and livestock, including dairy farming, will be brought into the programme across 11 blocks in 11 upazilas of 10 districts.
According to the ministry, the pre-pilot distribution began on Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla New Year, on 14 April this year.
In the first phase, 22,065 farmers in 11 upazilas across 10 districts received the cards.
Of them, 20,671 landless, marginal and small farmers received Tk 2,500 each as annual direct cash assistance.
The Agriculture Ministry plans to distribute Farmer Cards to 43 lakh farmers during the 2026-27 fiscal year. The country has an estimated 2.27 crore farmers.
The remaining farmers will be gradually brought under the programme, the ministry said.
Additional Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry M Yasin, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) M Abdur Rahim, Feni Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mahbubul Karim, Fulgazi Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kawser Hamid and Fulgazi Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Soheli Nawshin Protasha were present during the visit.
BNP National Executive Committee Assistant Secretary Belal Hossen, National Executive Committee member Abu Taleb and Fulgazi Upazila BNP Convener Fakhrul Alam Shawpan were also present.
