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Dhaka Friday,  Mar 29, 2024

BINA gets Independence Award utilizing Nuclear Technology in Agriculture

Rafiqul Bashar

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) has been awarded the ‘Independence Award -2019’ for its role in using nuclear technology to further agricultural research. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over this award to BINA.

Independence Award is considered as the highest honor given by the Bangladesh government every year. This year 12 individuals and one organization (BINA) were selected for the award to recognize their remarkable contribution to the country.

BINA is a reputed research organization that has harnessed the nuclear technology to develop high-yielding crop varieties and at the same time has developed various crop breeds that can adapt to any given hostile environmental conditions. BINA has so far introduced 103 advanced varieties of 17 different crops in Bangladesh using nuclear technology. Moreover, BINA has developed microbe – fertilizers that can be used in the place of nitrogen fertilizers.

Dr Hosne-ara Begum, Director (Research) of BINA said: “Here at BINA, our innovation has been playing an important role in reducing the food shortage in Bangladesh. Climate change is creating adversely impacting country’s agriculture sector. Yet, BINA is trying to mitigate this condition and enhance crop production using advanced nuclear technologies.”

BINA has 11 principal departments to conduct research in the field of plant breeding, soil science, crop physiology, pesticide, plant pathology, agronomy, agricultural engineering, biotechnology, plant science and agricultural economics. Besides, it has 13 outer sub-stations including in Rangpur, Iswardi, Magura, Satkhira, Comilla, Jamalpur, Khagrachori, Sunamganj, Sherpur, Barisal, Gopalganj, Noakhali and Chapainababganj.

Most of the BINA stations are equipped with various high tech equipment and machinery to conduct nuclear research on the agriculture sector. Including the head office in Mymensingh, BINA’s all other substations have field test facilities of their own. BINA has three glass house facilities across the country.

Among other notable equipment BINS has Gamma (Co-60) source, N-15 analyzer, liquid scintillation counter, fluorescent and phase contrast microscope, biolog system, gas chromatograph, HPLC, PCR, gel electrophoresis, gel dock, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, -80 degrees Celsius freezer, portable photosynthesis system , UV spectrophotometer, fermenter, neutron moisturizer meter, isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Besides, they have developed an exclusive soil museum that has a collection of a number of soil specimen collected from different locations of the country.

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