The government has launched a program to support 50,000 small and marginal farmers in increasing maize cultivation. Agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury announced the program, which includes distributing seeds and fertilizers worth Tk 65 million for free, at a press conference at the ministry on Wednesday. The government will provide seeds and fertilizers to farmers for growing maize on 16,500 acres of land in 62 upazilas across 11 districts. The program will begin in the current winter season, with each farmer receiving 3 kilograms of hybrid maize seeds and 50 kilograms of fertilizers, including 25 kilograms of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MoP), as incentives for cultivating maize on each bigha of land. The minister stated that the programme aims to boost maize production by 31,000 tonnes, resulting in an additional maize market value of Tk 62 crore. The initiative will be carried out in several districts, including Nilphamari, Kurigram, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Pirojpur, Barisal, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, and Jhalokhati. The agriculture minister explained that the goal of the programme is to encourage farmers to cultivate maize due to its high demand and lower cultivation costs compared to crops like rice and wheat. She also highlighted that wheat production in the northern region has decreased due to climate changes, making maize cultivation more appealing to farmers. The nation produces approximately 1.55 million tonnes of maize each year, but also requires an additional 422,000 tonnes through imports annually.