Knitwear factory owners raised concern over getting fresh work orders, timely wage payment of workers and running units following the prevailing gas crisis in the major industrial belts, especially in Narayanganj.
The concerns were raised in a meeting among members of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) held at its Narayanganj office on Saturday.
They made a number of demands, including prohibiting utility distributors from disconnecting gas or electricity lines of factories due to non-payment during the prevailing crisis period and extending the timeframe for declaring non-performing loans (defaults) from the current six months to 12 months.
Talking to the FE after the meeting, Saleh Uddin Shamim, managing director of IFS Texwear Pvt Ltd in Narayanganj, said his dyeing segment remained completely suspended for the last 15 days.
“We have somehow managed the fabric supply till now. But from next month, the impact would be acute, and there would be a serious shortage of fabric supply,” he told the FE.
Citing members in the meeting, he said all are concerned over the prevailing energy crisis, adding that the government had raised gas prices on condition of uninterrupted gas supply.
The supply has not improved; rather, they are not getting energy now despite the last two years' enhanced utility bills, he said, adding that members want a solution to the crisis and pressed the trade body to discuss with the government and find a way.
Members informed the meeting that some buyers want partial air shipments with regular sea consignments, while a few others ask for maritime fares for the delays and costly air shipment for delayed shipments.
They also expressed fear of losing fresh work orders for next season, while some buyers already shifted a certain portion to other destinations in fear of missing lead times.
When asked, BKMEA president Mohammad Hatem said members demanded an official government directive prohibiting utility distributors such as Titas from disconnecting gas or electricity lines of factories.
There was a common demand from more than 100 members who participated in the meeting, the BKMEA leaders said, adding all types of illegal gas connections must be severed immediately, and individuals involved must be identified and subjected to legal punitive action.
“This will increase gas supply on one hand and reduce system losses on the other,” he said.
Other demands included stopping the supply of CNG to private vehicles while keeping public transport as an exception, informing the prevailing energy situation through regular weekly briefings.
“Until the current energy situation improves, a demand was made to inform consumers weekly about the latest status of gas and fuel supply through press briefings, he said, explaining that this will enable factory owners to plan accordingly and protect them from uncertainty and confusion.
Since our export trade is already in a dismal state due to global and local factors, the current energy crisis has further aggravated the situation; many factories have lost their loan repayment capacity, he said. Under these circumstances, a request was made to extend the timeframe for declaring non-performing loans (defaults) from the current six months to 12 months.
