NanoMalaysia to make NANOVerify programme must
Published on: Friday, June 30, 2017
Kuala Lumpur: NanoMalaysia Bhd, a company limited by guarantee under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, aims to make the NANOVerify Programme mandatory for nanotechnology product manufacturers by year-end.Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rezal Khairi Ahmad, said at the moment, NANOVerify, the first nanotechnology products/processes certification in Malaysia, was still regarded as a voluntary certification programme."We are still in talks with the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry and several relevant agencies over the terms and conditions to make NANOVerify mandatory to ensure the validity of nanomaterials claimed by the manufacturers.ADVERTISEMENT "With the NANOVerified mark accredited under the programme, it could reassure the safety and quality of the nano products in the country," he told Bernama recently.NANOVerify, launched in 2015, is a joint programme between Sirim QAS International Sdn Bhd and NanoMalaysia, which awards the NANOVerified mark for companies which apply for certification for the processes/products with claims of nano-elements in the range of 1-100 nanometre.Rezal said with the NANOVerified mark, it could also enable a certified company to increase its corporate image, gain customers" trust and subsequently, promote its sales.Likening NANOVerify to the halal certificate accredited by Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), he did not discount the possibility of the former emerging as a global benchmark for nano products in the future.ADVERTISEMENT "It is possible for it to follow in Jakim's footsteps which has successfully made its halal certificate widely recognised by Muslims all around the world within 20 years' time," he said.Rezal, who is also a member of Asia Nano Forum, said currently, Malaysia has partnered with Taiwan, UK, Russia, Thailand and Iran to recognise each other's nano certificate.
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"All the six nations are the members of the forum and each has its own respective nano verification programmes."We are now looking at how to standardise and create a cross-countries accepted nano certificate to open up a bigger market for each other," he said.He said Malaysia was expected to sign an agreement on nano verification with Iran next year, after a similar deal was inked with Taiwan late last year. Recently, NanoMalaysia also announced that it would collaborate with a Russian company to set up an investment platform for nanotechnology businesses by year-end, which enabled Malaysia's manufactured nano products to penetrate the European market.Meanwhile, nano fertiliser provider, Microwell Bio Solutions Sdn Bhd, an indirect subsidiary of state-owned Johor Corp, is eyeing to expand its market share to 30 per cent in the country over the next five years.Chief Technology Officer/ Director, MD Nasaruddin Abdullah, said Malaysia has been spending over RM5 billion annually to import nano-based fertiliser, particularly from China and Russia."But the costs of the same nanomaterials produced locally are 10 to 20 per cent cheaper compared to imported ones," he said.Besides, he said, nanotechnology could halve the amount of fertiliser used yearly and enable the planters to save their raw material cost for a higher yield.However, MD Nasaruddin acknowledged that local awareness on nanotechnology was still on a very surface level as it is still an emerging technology."Most of them only come across the term of "nano" on cosmetic products without knowing that the technology is also adopted in the agriculture industry."So, our current stage is to approach the industry players to explain the effectiveness of the technology," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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MD Nasaruddin said during the company"s pre-commercialisation phase, he had seen the local farmers, planters and the industrial players began to gradually adopt the technology."We have to do it gradually to realise the target of taking up 30 per cent of the market share in five years," he said. – Bernama