The Bangladesh Bank has strengthened credit access for marginal and landless farmers under a priority mechanism introduced within its agricultural refinancing scheme. Financial institutions have been instructed to give preferential consideration to Farmer Smart Card holders to accelerate the flow of formal credit into the rural economy.
According to a regulatory circular issued by the central bank on Tuesday, commercial lenders must facilitate the opening of nominal 10 Taka bank accounts for these cardholders. Banks must also prioritise them during credit allocation, aligning operations with the “Farmers Smart Card Policy-2025” drafted by the Department of Agricultural Extension. Concurrently, the central bank directed financial institutions not to exclude individuals who do not yet possess the digital identification, ensuring that cardless marginal and landless farmers are not deprived of the refinancing facility.
Regional Disaster Response Priorities
The central bank’s directive places significant emphasis on providing targeted financial relief to farmers who experienced severe crop losses during recent heavy summer rains. Extensive damage to ripe paddy and various standing crops was reported across multiple agricultural belts, with the low-lying haor wetlands suffering the most severe impact.
The circular commands commercial banks to provide immediate priority access to working capital for affected smallholders in the following specific administrative districts:
| Priority Disaster Zones | Affected Ecosystem Type | Target Demographics | Primary Refinancing Objective |
| Sylhet | Haor and Lowland Belts | Marginal & Landless Farmers | Rapid capital injection for agricultural recovery |
| Sunamganj | Haor and Lowland Belts | Marginal & Landless Farmers | Rapid capital injection for agricultural recovery |
| Habiganj | Haor and Lowland Belts | Marginal & Landless Farmers | Rapid capital injection for agricultural recovery |
| Kishoreganj | Haor and Lowland Belts | Marginal & Landless Farmers | Rapid capital injection for agricultural recovery |
| Netrokona | Haor and Lowland Belts | Marginal & Landless Farmers | Rapid capital injection for agricultural recovery |
| Mymensingh | Mixed Agricultural Plains | Marginal & Landless Farmers | Rapid capital injection for agricultural recovery |
National Farmer Smart Card Rollout Goals
This emergency refinancing support is structured to supply prompt liquidity, allowing farmers to recover from crop degradation, purchase essential agricultural inputs, and resume cultivation cycles without administrative delay. The central bank noted that this targeted assistance reflects a broader national strategy to protect rural livelihoods, enhance climate resilience, and maintain national food production targets amidst volatile weather patterns. All alternative conditions specified under the existing refinancing scheme remain entirely unchanged.
The initiative follows a comprehensive government decision to launch Farmer Smart Cards nationwide to modernise and streamline the distribution of state subsidies, institutional credit, and agricultural incentives. Over a four-year implementation horizon, the state plans to register approximately 16.5 million farmers under the digital system. Furthermore, the programme is scheduled to expand its scope to include fishermen and dairy producers, aiming to eliminate long-standing structural barriers that have historically impeded rural communities from accessing state financial support.