Gas shortage keeps Ashuganj fertiliser factory shut: Minister

Industries Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has said the government cannot resume gas supply to Ashuganj Fertiliser and Chemical Company in Brahmanbaria due to a shortage of natural gas, keeping the factory’s production suspended.

Replying to a supplementary question from Brahmanbaria MP Nadia Pathan Papon in Parliament on Thursday (November 12), the minister said limited gas supply was being prioritised for power plants and fertiliser factories with higher production capacity and modern equipment.

Papon said the Ashuganj factory had remained shut for nearly 19 months despite having the capacity to produce fertiliser worth around Tk 3,000 crore annually. She asked when gas supply would resume, noting that additional gas from a newly drilled well in Brahmanbaria was being added to the national grid.