Photo: Collected
The Bangladesh Patent Office has granted a patent for nano urea developed by Professor Dr Md Javed Hossain Khan of Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST). The approval came yesterday, Sunday.
Dr Javed, who works on nanotechnology, said he applied for the patent in 2021. It had been stuck for more than five years. After the BNP government took office, the process moved forward on the prime minister’s instructions.
After receiving the patent, Dr Javed said, ‘If nano urea can be applied effectively, fertiliser use efficiency will increase, waste will fall, production costs will drop and yields are likely to rise. It will also reduce the extra pressure on the environment caused by excessive fertiliser use.’
JUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Yarul Kabir commented, ‘This technology can reduce farmers’ production costs. At the same time, it can play a role in saving foreign currency and reducing dependence on urea imports.’
The vice-chancellor believes the achievement will encourage other researchers and students at the university to pursue new innovations.
Dr Javed is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. He has been running his own laboratory at JUST since 2013. Research on nanotechnology and advanced materials is being carried out at the Nano-Bio and Advanced Materials Engineering (NAME) Lab that he founded.
Outlining his future plans, Dr Javed said the goal now is to bring the innovation to market effectively, make the technology affordable for farmers and harness its potential in the agriculture and industrial sectors.
By the numbers
According to a Risingbd report of 13 January, the government had signed a deal to import a total of 630,000 tonnes of urea from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company in the 2025-26 fiscal year; of this, 330,000 tonnes was for regular supply and 300,000 tonnes to deal with emergencies and production shortfalls at domestic factories.
Sources
Original report: BSS
Background sources: Risingbd, 13 January 2026
