Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture

What Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture does

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) is an autonomous statutory agricultural research institute under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Bangladesh, established under the BINA Act, 2017 (replacing the 1984 Ordinance). Headquartered in Mymensingh, BINA operates 13 sub-stations across Bangladesh and is the country's sole mandated institution for peaceful applications of nuclear energy in agriculture. Its core technology platform is mutation breeding using Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation — specifically a 500 kCi Gamma Irradiation Center equipped with GC-5000 and GC-220 Cobalt-60 sources — to induce genetic variation and develop improved, climate-stress-tolerant crop varieties. To date BINA has developed over 100 improved varieties across rice (Binadhan 4-26, IRATOM-24, Binashail), wheat, jute, pulses (mungbean, lentil, chickpea, grasspea), oilseeds (mustard, sesame, soybean, peanut), vegetables (tomato, onion, garlic, chili, turmeric), and fruits/ornamentals (lemon, sapodilla, gladiolus, mango).

BINA's research is organized across 11 scientific departments including Plant Breeding, Plant Physiology, Soil Science, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Agricultural Engineering, Agronomy, Applied Research & Extension, Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Agricultural Economics. The institute disseminates seeds and technologies through the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and a growing digital footprint comprising a BINA Agricultural Technology Android application, a web application at bjna.info, the BJNA online scientific journal, and internal e-services for germplasm and seed distribution management.

BINA does not operate a commercial revenue model. Funding flows from annual Government of Bangladesh budgetary allocations, and outputs (seeds, varieties, training) are distributed to farmers at no commercial price point through government agricultural extension channels. Strategic partners include the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for technology transfer, training, and joint research, and the institute was awarded the national Swadhinata Padak (Independence Day Award) in 2019. The institute is governed by a Board of Management under the 2017 Act and is currently led by Director General Dr. Shariful Haque Bhuiyan, appointed 7 September 2025. Note: one firmographic input records a 1975 founding date while the company's own legal history cites 1984; the 1984 Ordinance/Act is the more specific legal establishment date.

Name

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture

Legal name

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA)

Website

https://bina.gov.bd

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) is a government statutory research institute under Bangladesh's Ministry of Agriculture that uses Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation and mutation breeding to develop high-yielding, stress-tolerant crop varieties, distributing them to farmers via the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mymensingh

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) is a government agricultural research institute that develops high-yielding, stress-tolerant crop varieties using nuclear techniques such as mutation breeding and gamma irradiation. The institute operates a 500 kCi Gamma Irradiation Center with Cobalt-60 sources (GC-5000 and GC-220) and has released over 100 improved crop varieties across rice, wheat, jute, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals. Outputs are disseminated to farmers through the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and 13 regional sub-stations across Bangladesh.

Product overview

BINA is a government agricultural research institute that operates as a platform offering multiple digital and physical products. The core offerings include over 100 improved crop varieties developed through nuclear/radiation techniques (rice, wheat, jute, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals), digital services through web and mobile applications (BINA Agricultural Technology apps, BJNA online journal), and internal e-services for research management and seed distribution. The institute also maintains gamma irradiation infrastructure for mutation breeding research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Improved Crop Varieties (Binadhan and other BINA-developed series) A product line of high-yielding, stress-tolerant crop varieties developed through nuclear techniques (mutation breeding and gamma irradiation). Includes the Binadhan rice series, wheat, jute, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals distributed to Bangladeshi farmers through the Department of Agricultural Extension.
• Gamma Irradiation Facility (Cobalt-60 Sources) Research infrastructure providing gamma irradiation services for mutation breeding, plant mutation induction, and agricultural radiation processing using Cobalt-60 sources (GC-5000 and GC-220 models).
• BINA Agricultural Technology Mobile Application Android mobile application providing access to BINA-developed agricultural technologies, crop variety information, and farming guidance for farmers and agricultural extension workers in Bangladesh.
• BINA Agricultural Technology Web Application Web-based platform providing information about BINA-developed agricultural technologies and crop varieties, accessible at bjna.info/bkp/.
• BJNA Online Journal (Bangladesh Journal of Nuclear Agriculture) Online scientific journal (বিজেএনএ) publishing peer-reviewed research articles on nuclear agriculture, crop science, mutation breeding, and related agricultural biotechnology fields.

Quantifiable outcome

• BINA developed Binadhan-20 helped flood-affected farmers recover losses

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBINA collaborates with IAEA for peaceful uses of nuclear energy in agriculture, including technology transfer, training, and joint research programs in mutation breeding and radiation technology applications

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI): Global leader in rice research and breeding, headquartered in the Philippines. Directly comparable because BINA's flagship Binadhan rice series (over 24 released varieties) competes in the same rice variety development space and serves similar smallholder farmer segments in Asia.
• Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI): Bangladesh's primary national agricultural research institute under the Ministry of Agriculture. Directly comparable as a domestic peer operating across similar crop categories with overlapping mandates for variety development and farmer extension, though BARI uses conventional breeding while BINA specializes in nuclear/mutation techniques.

Others

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): UN agency promoting peaceful nuclear applications including agriculture. Comparable as BINA's core strategic partner and coordinating body for nuclear agriculture programs globally; relevant as a peer because IAEA's Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture directly supports institutes like BINA.
• CGIAR System Organization: Global agricultural research partnership comprising 15 international centers. Comparable as a peer in the broader agricultural research ecosystem where BINA's variety development work intersects with CGIAR's international breeding programs and germplasm exchange initiatives.
• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC): India's primary nuclear research center with agricultural applications including mutation breeding programs. Comparable because it similarly applies nuclear technology for crop improvement, though BARC operates as a broader nuclear R&D organization with agriculture as one division rather than BINA's focused mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): India's apex agricultural research body coordinating 100+ institutes. Comparable as a much larger government agricultural research network in a neighboring country with overlapping crop focus (rice, wheat, pulses, oilseeds) and similar public-sector breeding mandate.

Emerging players

• ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics): International agricultural research institute focused on semi-arid tropic crops including sorghum, millet, chickpea, and groundnut. Comparable because BINA also develops varieties in several of these crop categories (chickpea, peanut/groundnut) and both serve smallholder farmers in climate-vulnerable regions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BangladeshInstituteOfNuclearAgriculture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bangladesh-institute-of-nuclear-agriculture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture