The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) in Uganda has developed a nitrogen fertiliser using locally available materials, potentially reducing the country's dependence on imported agricultural inputs and improving crop productivity. The fertiliser, known as Nano-Plasma Nitrogen (NPN), is produced using solar energy, atmospheric nitrogen, water, and plant waste. This technology could offer farmers an alternative to conventional nitrogen fertilisers, which remain costly for many smallholder producers.
Early research findings indicate that the locally developed nitrogen fertiliser increased maize yields by up to 85 per cent compared with imported urea. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Plant Science on 10 September 2026, showed that maize treated with the new fertiliser produced significantly higher yields than maize treated with imported urea in experimental comparisons. According to NARO Deputy Director General in charge of Research, Dr Swidiq Mugerwa, the technology is designed to produce a slow-release fertiliser that supplies nitrogen to crops over an extended period.
Uganda imports approximately 34,779 tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser annually, with expenditure on nitrogen fertiliser imports reaching US$34.8 million in 2024. The country's fertiliser application rates also remain below the African Union's Abuja Declaration target of at least 50 kilogrammes per hectare. Increasing fertiliser use through imports alone would require substantial expenditure, particularly as international prices and transport costs continue to affect the affordability of agricultural inputs.
NARO researchers believe local production could provide an alternative if the technology proves commercially viable. Maize yields increase in early trials, with the published research finding that maize treated with Nano-Plasma Nitrogen fertiliser recorded yields approximately 34 per cent and 85 per cent higher than those obtained using imported urea. Researchers also estimated that maize plants absorbed about 83 per cent of the nitrogen supplied by the new fertiliser during a screenhouse experiment.
The technology uses non-thermal plasma, an energised gas that helps convert atmospheric nitrogen into compounds suitable for plant nutrition. Solar energy powers the process, while water is used to stabilise the resulting compounds. Plant waste serves as a carrier material that regulates how quickly the nutrients are released into the soil. In the published experiments, researchers used banana peels as the plant-based material and processed the fertiliser into pellets for application during planting.
Despite the encouraging results, NARO says the technology is still undergoing development and requires additional testing before it can be made widely available to farmers. The initial research was conducted at one location, meaning the results cannot yet be assumed to apply across Uganda's different soils, rainfall patterns, and agricultural production systems. Further studies are necessary to determine whether these benefits can be consistently achieved under normal farming conditions.
NARO is now designing and evaluating an industrial-scale production plant to establish whether the technology can manufacture fertiliser in sufficient quantities for commercial distribution. However, the organisation acknowledges that the availability of local raw materials does not automatically make the finished product cheaper than imported alternatives. The cost of equipment, electricity, processing, packaging, transport, and distribution will determine the final cost of the fertiliser.
Key points
- Locally developed nitrogen fertiliser increased maize yields by up to 85 per cent compared with imported urea.
- Uganda imports approximately 34,779 tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser annually, with expenditure on nitrogen fertiliser imports reaching US$34.8 million in 2024.
- NARO's technology uses non-thermal plasma, solar energy, water, and plant waste to produce a slow-release fertiliser.
