REFAYET ULLAH MIRDHA

Production in spinning, dyeing and weaving mills in Tongi, Sreepur, Gazipur and Maona, all areas adjoining or close to capital Dhaka, has declined by a massive margin of around 65 percent over the last five days owing to low gas pressure, millers said.

The factory owners said some of their units were getting no gas at all while others receiving as low as 1 to 3 pounds per square inch (PSI) whereas they need 10-15 PSI to run their machinery and washing and dying facilities at full capacity.

Many factory owners of the industrial belt now fear missing their monthly production target and failing to ensure timely air shipment of the goods.

Bangladesh has a $25 billion primary textile sector and nearly 60 percent of its spinning, dyeing, washing, weaving and finishing units are located in the country’s largest industrial belt consisting of Gazipur, Sreepur, Maona, Savar, Ashulia and Tongi.

Mohammad Zaber, managing director of Noman Group, the single largest textile and garment exporter of Bangladesh, told The Daily Star that his group is also at risk of missing the export target and schedule because of the gas crisis.

Noman Group’s export target for June is set at $35 million -- $20 million worth of home textile and $15 million fashion -- from mills and factories located in Tongi, he said.

Gas pressure at their Tongi home textile factory reached as low as one PSI, which will make it difficult for the group to reach the production target, Zaber said over the phone.

The group’s Sreepur factory, which targets shipping $3 million worth of garment items, is also hit by the low pressure of gas, he said.

Zaber also said his home textile business has been rebounding from a crisis originating in February 2023 when the price of gas almost doubled while production cost spiralled so high that the group failed to book global work orders.

However, Noman Group has been optimistic over the last few months as it started receiving a lot of international orders, he said.

Md Fazlul Haque, managing director of Maona-based Israq Spinning Mills, echoed the views of Zaber.

Haque said his mill was getting 1 to 2 PSI, which was inadequate to run the unit at full capacity.

Israq Spinning has been producing only 40 tonnes of yarns daily over the last five days, which is one third of the factory’s capacity of 120 tonnes, he said.

The condition of gas-fed dyeing units is even worse, as those need a lot of gas pressure to function, he said.

A few days ago, the leaders of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) sat with the officials of state-owned gas supplying company Petrobangla and urged it to ensure adequate gas supply to the industrial units.

BTMA President Mohammad Ali Khokon sent a letter to Petrobangla Chairman Zanendra Nath Sarker yesterday demanding improvement in the gas supply to the industrial belts, including areas like Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Gazipur, Maona, Savar, Ashulia, Tongi and Sreepur.

The gas supply situation worsened in the last five days when the pressure reduced to almost zero in many factories, Khokon said.

Petrobangla has identified a leakage in a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU), which has deteriorated gas supply drastically, the Petrobangla officials told the BTMA leaders.

Even if the leakage is repaired locally, it may take seven days more to see an improvement in gas supply to the industrial units, they said.

If the leakage cannot be mended locally, the Petrobangla may need to send the FSRU abroad for repairs and in that case, it may take one month for the gas pressure to rise, they said.

Md Ridwanuzzaman, branch manager for operations of Titas Gas Marketing and Supply at Gazipur, said gas flow had remained low in the area over the last few days.

However, he could not say exactly state the pressure at which gas was being supplied to factories in Gazipur.

“It is difficult to say exactly when the gas supply situation will improve as it is a matter of the higher authority,” he said.

Md Haronur Rashid Mullah, managing director of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, the gas distributing company for the affected industrial zone, could not be reached over the phone for comment in this connection.