Farmer Card holders to get advance weather alerts by SMS

Farmers enrolled in the government's Farmer Card programme will soon receive advance weather forecasts directly on their mobile phones through automated SMS alerts, according to a report by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha published on 2 November. Forecasts will be sent every six hours in normal conditions, with more frequent alerts during disasters and severe weather. The facility is one of 10 services planned under the Farmer Card programme, including agricultural input assistance, low-interest loans, irrigation facilities and crop insurance. The BNP-led government targets bringing around 24 million farmers under the programme over the next four years. The Agriculture Information Service under the Department of Agricultural Extension will implement the SMS-based system, while the PARTNER project supports field-level implementation. Data collection has so far covered 2.2 million farmers across 1,681 agricultural blocks in 503 upazilas, with 900,000 bank accounts opened. Agriculture Secretary Md. Selim Khan said the automatic alerts would add a new dimension to integrated farmer services and help farmers plan cultivation against weather risks.