Farmers to receive advance weather forecasts through ‘Farmer Card’

Farmers enrolled in the government's Farmer Card programme will receive advance weather forecasts directly on their mobile phones, helping them take timely precautions against rainfall, temperature fluctuations and other adverse weather conditions.

Under the initiative, weather updates will be automatically delivered to cardholders through SMS every six hours under normal conditions. The frequency of alerts will increase during disasters and severe weather events.

The facility is being introduced as part of the government's broader Farmer Card programme, which aims to provide farmers with 10 types of services, including agricultural input assistance, low-interest loans, irrigation facilities and crop insurance.

The BNP-led government, headed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, has set a target of bringing around 24 million farmers nationwide under the programme over the next four years.

Agriculture in Bangladesh remains highly dependent on weather conditions, with irregular rainfall, excessive precipitation, droughts, temperature variations and storms frequently disrupting crop production and farming activities.

Access to timely weather information will help farmers make informed decisions regarding cultivation, irrigation, fertiliser application, pesticide use and harvesting.

The automated SMS-based alert system is expected to ensure that weather-related information reaches farmers directly in the field, eliminating the need to independently seek out forecasts.

For example, advance warnings of rainfall during harvesting periods will allow farmers to collect and safely store their crops before the rain begins. Similarly, rainfall forecasts will help them plan irrigation schedules more effectively, reducing water consumption and production costs.

Warnings about storms and other extreme weather events will also enable farmers to take preventive measures to protect their crops, agricultural equipment and other assets.

The Agriculture Information Service (AIS) under the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) will implement the initiative by delivering automated weather alerts to farmers through SMS.

The government is implementing the Farmer Card programme to establish an integrated database of farmers and streamline the distribution of agricultural assistance and other government services.

One of the programme's primary objectives is to identify genuine farmers and ensure easier access to government support. Accordingly, data collection and verification, bank account opening and card distribution are being carried out in phases.

According to official data, the distribution of Farmer Cards to 4.3 million farmers is underway in the current 2026-27 fiscal year. Data collection activities have advanced across 1,681 agricultural blocks in 503 upazilas under 64 districts.

Information on around 2.2 million farmers has so far been collected, while 900,000 bank accounts linked to the Farmer Card programme have been opened.

On October 1, programme activities were launched simultaneously in 77 upazilas across 56 districts. Under this phase, steps have been taken to enrol 110,165 farmers, including 100,047 identified as eligible for agricultural input assistance.

Earlier, during a pre-pilot programme conducted between March and June this year, 20,832 farmers received cards across 11 agricultural blocks in 11 upazilas of 10 districts.

During the pilot phase, financial assistance totalling Tk 5.12 crore was distributed among 20,480 landless, marginal and small farmers, with each receiving Tk 2,500 annually.

The Programme on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship and Resilience in Bangladesh (PARTNER) project is playing a key role in implementing the initiative at the grassroots level.

Deputy Programme Director of the project Md Rakibuzzaman Khan told BSS that efforts were underway to modernise the agricultural sector through accurate data collection and assessments of farmers' needs.

He said a reliable database would help facilitate need-based training, introduce modern technologies, increase agricultural productivity and promote the development of agri-entrepreneurs.

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture's Farmer Card Cell Md Eaasin said the programme primarily aimed to maintain accurate records of farmers and make government assistance more efficient and accessible.

He said data collection, verification, bank account opening and card distribution were being carried out through coordinated efforts.

Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Md Selim Khan said the automatic delivery of weather alerts to farmers' mobile phones would add a new dimension to the integrated service system.

He said the facility would help farmers align their agricultural activities with weather forecasts and prepare in advance for potential risks.

Given the significant influence of weather conditions on agricultural yields, timely access to information was essential for farmers, he said, adding that regular updates would support informed decisions on crop management, irrigation, fertiliser application and harvesting.

The Agriculture Secretary also said that, in line with the government's plan, all districts, upazilas and agricultural blocks across the country would gradually be brought under the Farmer Card programme.