The government has launched a program to support 50,000 small and marginal farmers in increasing maize cultivation. Agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury announced the initiative, which involves distributing seeds and fertilizers worth Tk 65 million free of charge, at a press conference on Wednesday. The government will provide the seeds and fertilizers to farmers for planting maize on 16,500 acres of land in 62 upazilas across 11 districts. The program, which begins in the current winter season, will provide farmers with 3 kilograms of hybrid maize seeds and 50 kgs of fertilizers, including 25kgs of diamonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MoP), as incentives for maize cultivation on each bigha [0.33 acre] of land. The minister stated that the programme aims to increase maize production by 31,000 tonnes, with the additional maize expected to be worth at least Tk 62 crore in the market. The programme will be carried out in districts such as Nilphamari, Kurigram, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Pirojpur, Barisal, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, and Jhalokhati. The agriculture minister explained that the goal of the incentive programme is to encourage farmers to cultivate maize due to its high demand and lower irrigation and cultivation costs compared to other crops like rice and wheat. She also noted that wheat production in the northern region has decreased due to climate changes, leading to increased interest in maize cultivation among farmers because of the high demand for maize for both human and poultry consumption. The nation produces approximately 1.55 million tonnes of maize annually and must import an additional 422,000 tonnes each year.