JUST's liquid nano urea awaits its path to the field: researchers say 500ml could replace a whole bag of fertiliser
At a time of global fertiliser crisis and rising import costs, a laboratory at Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST) has raised hopes of a homegrown alternative. The university's Nano-Bio and Advanced Materials Engineering (NAME) Lab, in the Department of Chemical Engineering, works on nanotechnology-based innovations that those involved believe could play an important role in crop production and protection. But taking a laboratory invention to farmers' fields will require an effective policy framework and government initiative.
The lab is led by Professor Dr Md Javed Hossain Khan, under whose leadership it was founded in 2013. According to those involved, it is Bangladesh's first and only ISO-certified nano research laboratory. More than a decade of research and infrastructure development has raised it to international standards, and Dr Khan is regarded as one of the pioneers of nanotechnology research in the country. In 2026 he was elected a Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences.
Since 2019, Professor Khan and his team have been conducting continuous research on nano fertiliser. They say they have invented liquid nano urea for the first time in the country. According to the researchers, just 500 millilitres of liquid nano urea can work as an alternative to a conventional 50kg bag of granular urea.
If that effectiveness is proved in extensive field trials, the cost of fertiliser use, transport and storage could fall significantly. The researchers also hope it could help protect soil health and reduce excess nitrogen pollution in water.
Yet although several media reports on the invention have appeared over the past few years, liquid nano urea has still not been marketed commercially. The long distance between invention and farmers' use is now the biggest question.
At the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026 held last September, the prime minister visited Dr Khan's nano urea project in person. He assured the research team of full government support for developing and applying the technology. The inventors and those in agriculture are now waiting for a positive decision and effective action in line with that assurance.
Against that assurance, however, Bangladesh still has no national policy on nano-agritechnology. Without a specific framework for safety testing, registration, approval and marketing, the results of much research cannot reach farmers in the field. As the government searches for alternative sources to tackle the ongoing fertiliser crisis, the report says nano-based agricultural innovation deserves priority.
The NAME Lab's work is not limited to fertiliser. Alongside international-standard research, it also prepares various chemical formulations to meet the needs of local industries, creating scope to reduce import dependence and save foreign currency. Under the World Bank-funded HEAT project, research is also under way there on nano-pesticides, aimed at bringing the use of harmful chemical pesticides down by at least 50 per cent.
Concern is growing over toxic pesticide residues on vegetables and fruit, health risks to farmers, and harmful effects on beneficial insects and water bodies. In such a situation, nano-pesticides that are effective in small doses could play an important role in safe food production.
Several steps have been suggested so that laboratory inventions do not remain confined there but bring national benefits. First, a national nano-agriculture policy should be formulated quickly, with clear provisions on biosafety, quality control, labelling and commercial approval. Second, agricultural research institutions and universities should jointly conduct independent field trials on major crops to verify effectiveness and publish the results transparently.
Third, clear rules for technology transfer between universities and domestic industry should be created to build public-private partnerships. Fourth, investment should rise in pilot production facilities and accredited testing laboratories. Fifth, farmers and agricultural extension workers should be trained in using nano fertiliser at the correct dose.
Dr Khan said an effective government policy to take domestic innovation to the field would make it easier for researchers to deliver their products to farmers. He added that at the Innovation Fair the prime minister himself saw their nano urea and assured the team of full government support for the technology's progress and application, and that they are now waiting for a positive decision and effective initiative from the inventors and agriculture-related departments.
Led by Dr Khan, who has worked with dedication for years for the development of the country's agriculture, the NAME Lab is seen as an important asset for Bangladesh. As the world becomes rapidly technology-dependent, whether the country's policymakers and administrative system can keep pace with scientific progress is now the big question. After the prime minister's assurance, researchers and those in agriculture hope the long wait for liquid nano urea to reach the field will soon end.
