Textile mills hit hard as gas shortage cuts output to 30pc

Severe gas shortage has hit textile mills across the country as production in these factories has dropped as low as 30 per cent.

Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) recently informed the Commerce Ministry about the crisis. Around 660 textile mills are suffering devastating gas crisis. Prothom Alo reported.

BTMA sources said 244 textile mills have remained closed since 2019. The association is currently evaluating the present condition of the mills. It will soon submit a formal proposal to the ministry seeking support to revive the sector.

Top officials of mills in Gazipur, Narsingdi, and Narayanganj reported slight improvements in gas pressure in some areas over the past two days. However, the crisis persists in many units.

The crisis began on July 21 when an LNG terminal of Excelerate Energy went out of service after a fire. Gas supply from the Summit terminal was also disrupted. Summit resumed full operations and Excelerate partially restarted on August 15. However, Excelerate shut down again due to cargo issues before resuming on August 22.

In Narsingdi, Bhuiyan Textile and Calender Mills remained shut for 22 consecutive days. Director Anisur Rahman Bhuiyan said gas pressure improved slightly from Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the situation remains dire in Narayanganj. MS Dyeing Printing and Finishing in the BSCIC Industrial Park has been without gas since August 18. General Manager Babul Hossain said daily production capacity of 110 tonnes of fabric processing has completely stopped.

In Gazipur's Sreepur, one mill owner said gas pressure remains below 2 PSI. His mill operates at just 30 to 35 per cent capacity. Conversely, Asia Composite Mills MD Masud Rana reported gas pressure between 3 and 8 PSI over the last two days. This allowed them to reach 70 to 75 per cent capacity.

BTMA Vice President Abul Kalam MP said production at his own unit, Choiti Composite in Sonargaon, dropped to 40 per cent. He added that prolonged disruption has raised concerns among foreign buyers, though supply is slowly improving.

-SA