DHAKA : The government has announced an agro-incentive package worth Tk 53.66 crore for a nationwide tree plantation programme under the agricultural rehabilitation assistance sector in the 2025-‘26 fiscal year, aiming to distribute 16.28 lakh saplings free of cost across the country.

The initiative is part of the current government's election pledge under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to plant 25 crore trees over the next five years.

Under the programme, a total of 16.28 lakh fruit-bearing, timber and medicinal plant saplings, along with organic fertiliser, bamboo stakes and other necessary inputs, will be distributed free of charge among farmers in all 64 districts.

The information was disclosed in a recent government notification issued by the Inputs-2 Wing of the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to the notification, Tk 12.96 crore of the total Tk 53.66 crore allocation will be spent on saplings, Tk 19.74 crore on organic manure, Tk 8.14 crore on bamboo stakes, Tk 7.61 crore on transportation, and Tk 5.21 crore on ancillary and contingency expenditures. 

The programme has categorised saplings into four groups, with assistance costs fixed according to species. Each sapling will be accompanied by 30 kilograms of organic manure and one bamboo stake.

Under Category-1, each coconut sapling will involve a total expenditure of Tk 410, including Tk 160 for the sapling, Tk 120 for organic manure, Tk 50 for a bamboo stake, Tk 48 for transportation and Tk 32 for ancillary expenses.

Category-2 includes mango, litchi, sapodilla, custard apple, palmyra palm, jackfruit, tamarind and pomelo saplings. The total expenditure for each sapling under this category has been fixed at Tk 310.

Category-3 covers species such as orange, olive and Bengal currant, with a total expenditure of Tk 290 per sapling.

Category-4 includes species such as arjun, mahogany, areca nut, hog plum, Indian gooseberry, neem, black plum, bahera, wood apple, rain tree, date palm and almond. The expenditure for each sapling under this category has been fixed at Tk 240.

The programme will also distribute 16.28 lakh bamboo stakes and a total of 48,840 metric tonnes of organic manure across the country.

To ensure transparency, the government has imposed a number of strict conditions in implementing the programme. 

All expenditures must comply with the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2006 and the Public Procurement Rules (PPR) 2008, while no spending beyond the approved allocation will be permitted.

The government has decided that all allocated funds under the programme will be released in favour of the chairmen of Upazila Agricultural Rehabilitation Implementation Committees and Upazila Nirbahi Officers through district-level committees.

For selecting beneficiaries, Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officers will prepare priority lists of eligible and interested farmers and institutions.

Officials concerned said each farmer or institution will receive a maximum of five saplings. The saplings may be planted in homesteads, fallow lands, canal banks, roadsides, educational institutions, religious establishments and other vacant spaces.

They said materials must be distributed through master rolls after verifying beneficiaries' photo-bearing agricultural cards. 

In absence of an agricultural card, national identity card numbers and mobile phone numbers must be included in the master roll. Under no circumstances inputs can be handed over to anyone other than the listed beneficiary or institution head.

When contacted, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Md Abdur Rahim told BSS that all preparations, including sapling procurement, organic manure distribution and bamboo stake arrangements, have already been completed.

“Every district-level office of the Department of Agricultural Extension is working on the programme. Distribution of saplings will begin very soon,” he said.

Agriculture Secretary Dr Rafiqul E Mohammad told BSS that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to inaugurate the sapling distribution programme in Chakaria upazila of Cox's Bazar on June 13.

“On the same day, sapling distribution activities will commence simultaneously in all districts and upazilas across the country,” he said.

The secretary said the government is determined to achieve its target of planting 25 crore trees over the next five years through the ministries concerned.

“We will steadily fulfil the government's target of planting 25 crore saplings within five years through coordinated efforts of the designated ministries,” he added.

Ministry sources said that after finalisation of beneficiary lists by district and upazila committees, relevant farmer information forms must be submitted to the Director (Field Services Wing) of the Department of Agricultural Extension via designated email before the distribution programme begins.

Field-level officials have been instructed to implement the programme with the highest level of transparency to help achieve the five-year target of planting 25 crore trees nationwide. They have also been directed to adjust all advance withdrawals by June 30.