Gas crisis hampers garments production in 6 areas
Production in the textile mills in some areas in Savar, Narayanganj, Dhamrai, Manikganj, Gazipur and Chattogram areas has been affecting severely due to shortage of gas supply in the industrial units.
The millers are fearing that they will lose the work orders if the production cannot be continued.
Many of the mills have been running 50 percent to 60 percent capacity because of the lower pressure of gas in the industrial plants.
The millers also said gas pressure is so low that sometimes the pressure reaches to 1.5 pounds per square inch (psi) although they were approved 10 PSI or more than 10PSI for operation.
Md Mosharaf Hossain, chairman of Mosharaf Group, a leading spinner, said with good pressure of gas he could produce 140 tonnes of yarn in a day but the production lowered to 100 tonnes of yarn in a day now.
"I have been facing the trouble of gas pressure over the last one month and my investment is in trouble now because of lower production of yarn," Hossain told The Daily Star.
Hossain's investment in his spinning mill at Bhabanipur in Gazipur is Tk2,000crore, he said.
Echoing with the views of Hossain, Khorshed Alam, chairman of Little Star Spinning Mills Ltd said the production in his factory lowered to 13,000 pound from 22,000 pound per day.
His daily production loss from his Ashulia based spinning mill which mainly produces 80 carded yarn, is Tk26lakh because of shortage of gas supply. His factory has been running at 60 percent capacity over the last many months.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) assured him for supplying gas with adequate pressure but the assurance is yet to be materialised, he said.
Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), the platform for the primary textile sector like spinning, weaving and dyeing, has sent a letter to Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister on Wednesday, seeking solution for higher pressure of gas to run their industrial units.
Ali Iqbal Md Nurullah, managing director of TGTDCL said the improvement of supply of gas is depending on availability of the gas in the pipelines. "However, it is expected that the situation of gas supply will improve soon as we are working on the issue," he Nurullah said.
The sufferers should also contact with the officials of the Petrobangla so that the state-owned gas exploration and production company can also be aware about the gas crisis in the country.
Currently, some 450 spinning mills have been supplying 80 percent of yarn to the local knitwear factories. They are the main consumers of the gas.
Mohammad Ali Khokon, president of the BTMA, in the letter said the local garment exporters may lose the work orders from the international retailers and brands if the spinners and weavers cannot supply the yarn and fabrics timely.
Also the investment worth $10billion in the primary textile sector would be in a trouble if the gas supply cannot be improved as soon as possible, the industry people also said.