Textiles mills run on 30% capacities due to extreme gas scarcity: BTMA

A good number of members of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association have been forced to shut down 70 percent of their mills’ capacities due to chronic gas scarcity.

BTMA President Muhammad Ali Khokon marked this at a press conference in the city on Thursday.

He said BTMA has demanded for uninterrupted LNG supply to the national grid to save this backward linkage industry which is contributing to 70 percent of the country’s apparel trade.

The mills need 15psi of gas pressures but presently they are getting a maximum of 8psi, he claimed.

Some of the industries get a meager 1psi to 2.5 psi and some are experiencing no pressure at all.

“As a result, we are not able to use most of our capacities,” he told reporters.

Resulting on average the industry has to keep shutting down 70 percent of the capacity and individually 30 to 40 percent.

To solve the crisis, BTMA emphasised on incessant LNG supply to the national gas grid.

“We survived the Covid-19 pandemic marginally. But now, there are huge work-orders pouring in our country. Due to low gas pressure, we cannot deliver the product to our clients in the lead time,” Khokon said.

The sector is being operated by gas based captive power plant. So, when the supply of gas is hindered, the production is badly damaged, the BTMA president pointed out.

He said due to severe gas crisis textiles mills in Narayanganj, Savar, Dhamrai, Manikganj and Gazipur are badly affected. Their captive plants could not be run.

According to BTMA, Dweep Textiles Ltd in Dhamrai is getting 5psi, Little Star of Savar 2.5psi, Bangladesh Export Import Company in Gazipur 1.50psi, Hajee Hashem Spinning Mills Ltd in Narayangonj 4psi and Akij Textiles in Manikganj 6.6psi, respectively.