Spinning mill workers urge NBR to keep yarn import bond withdrawal

Workers and employees of local spinning mills have urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to retain its order withdrawing the bond facility for imports of 10-30 count cotton yarn. They warned that cancelling the order could lead to factory closures, job losses and a rise in loan defaults.

The demand was made at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in Segunbagicha on Wednesday. Engineer Azhar Ali, chief operating officer of Salma Group, read out a written statement on behalf of workers, officers and employees of spinning mills.

Among those present were Mosharraf Group Director (Operations) Shahinul Haque, Greentex Limited Executive Director Ruhul Amin, Utta Spinning Mill Deputy General Manager Abdus Salik and Bengal FNK Group Executive Director Enamul Haque, along with workers, officers and employees from the sector.

Azhar Ali said local spinning mills had long faced production problems due to low gas pressure and supply shortages. A steady gas supply, he stressed, was essential to keep factories running and protect jobs.

He noted that the withdrawal of the bond facility for 10-30 count cotton yarn had boosted demand for locally produced yarn. This, he said, could help closed and partly closed mills restart operations and safeguard employment.

According to the statement, Bangladesh has 530 spinning mills. Of these, 117 fully or partly closed between 2019 and 2026, while the remaining 413 are fully or partly operational.
Local mills have an annual production capacity of around 1.3 billion kg of 10-30 count cotton yarn.