Dhaka, April 12 -- Bangladesh is going to introduce Farmer Cards for 20,671 landless, marginal and small farmers under a new government initiative that combines direct financial assistance with expanded access to agricultural services.

Under the initiative, eligible farmers will receive Tk 2,500 annually, alongside access to subsidised inputs and a range of farming-related services delivered through a dedicated card system.

Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid announced the initiative on Sunday, coinciding with the launch of the Farmer Card distribution programme on Pahela Baishakh.

He said that as of Apr 11, data on 22,065 farmers had been collected nationwide.

This includes 2,246 landless farmers with less than 2.02 hectares...