CHATTAGRAM, Mar 5: Production at two of Chattogram's largest fertilizer factories has been suspended since Thursday evening due to an acute gas shortage, disrupting the country's major fertilizer supply.
The multinational Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO) and Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) have been forced to halt operations as the supply of natural gas remains insufficient to meet demand.
According to sources at Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL), the gas supply on Thursday stood at 250 million cubic feet (CFT), far below the combined daily requirement of 450 million CFT for both factories. Consequently, KGDCL curtailed gas deliveries to the two plants.
KAFCO, established in 1992 with a production capacity of 561,000 metric tons annually, requires 50 million CFT of gas daily to operate at full capacity. Currently, it produces just over 500,000 metric tons per year due to supply constraints.
CUFL, set up in 1987 at a cost of Tk 1,700 crore, now requires around Tk 100 billion to replicate such a project. Its guaranteed operational life of 20 years ended in 2007, and the plant is running on residual life. CUFL's daily gas requirement is 51 million CFT, but inconsistent supply has prevented the factory from reaching its design capacity of 561,000 metric tons. Daily output currently stands at just 1,650-1,680 metric tons.
Frequent production halts have also caused technical damage, including wear and tear to critical components such as the plant's liner. Experts say gas shortages are particularly acute during the summer, when priority is given to power generation to ease load shedding.
"Without a reliable gas supply, our operations remain unstable, affecting fertilizer availability nationwide," a CUFL source said, requesting anonymity.
The persistent gas crisis has limited CUFL's annual operations to only three months in recent financial years, highlighting the long-standing challenges faced by Bangladesh's fertiliser industry. Authorities are under pressure to ensure adequate gas supplies to safeguard production and meet the agricultural demand across the country.
