At some factories in Savar and Ashulia, machines now wait for gas before they can begin the day. When the pressure finally rises, workers rush to switch them on -- only for the supply to fade before the machines can properly warm up.
At others, electricity disappears for hours, leaving factory floors dependent on diesel, solar power and batteries. Production is falling, costs are rising and exporters are increasingly worried about missing shipment deadlines.
A visit to 10 garment, washing and spinning factories across Savar and Ashulia on Monday and Tuesday by bdnews24.com found a manufacturing belt struggling to keep pace with unreliable energy supplies.
Factories have not yet been forced to shut entirely because of the crisis, entrepreneurs, officials and industrial police said. But production has dropped sharply.
Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Industrial Police-1, which covers Savar, Ashulia and Dhamrai, said the region’s 1,863 factories were being affected.
“None of the factories in Savar, Ashulia and Dhamrai has completely shut down due to the gas crisis. But production has fallen.
“Our analysis shows that production has declined. The reason is load-shedding. Factories are running generators, which has reduced production by an average of 15 to 20 per cent.”
Gas Pressure Plunges, Diesel Costs Triple
Bangladesh needs around 3.8 billion cubic feet of gas a day but typically receives about 2.7 billion cubic feet from domestic production and imported LNG.
The shortfall intensified after one of the two floating LNG terminals at Moheshkhali stopped operating because of a technical problem in July. Fuel shortages have also reduced power generation, worsening load-shedding.
In Ashulia, factory workers said gas pressure that should be at least 5 pounds per square inch was hovering around 1-2psi.
At AR Wet Processing, daily output has fallen from 45,000-50,000 pieces to 25,000-30,000. Manager Selim Reza said the factory’s 80-90 machines could no longer run simultaneously.
“10 machines are stopped and 10 are running. We cannot operate all of them together. We have to bring in gas from outside to run some of them. This costs an additional Tk 30,000 to Tk 35,000 an hour.”
Power cuts compound the problem. At Fun Factory in Ashulia, diesel costs have tripled.
“Previously, we needed Tk 5,000 worth of diesel. Now it costs Tk 15,000. Last month, there was no gas for seven to 10 consecutive days. It has improved somewhat now. But load-shedding is causing more trouble. There are power cuts of up to five or six hours every day.”
At Little Star Spinning Mills, production has been rationed across three shifts. Even with electricity, solar power and batteries, the mill is struggling to operate at 40 per cent of capacity.
Managing Director Khorshed Alam said alternative energy had raised production costs by 12 per cent, adding Tk 14-Tk 15 to the cost of producing each pound of yarn.
The scale of the slowdown varies, but the pattern is widespread. Ring Shine Textile’s yarn production has fallen from 30,000-35,000 tonnes a day to 7,000-10,000, while Pratik Ceramics has seen daily output plunge from 80,000 pieces to 20,000.
At Ashaya Clothing, production has dropped from 80,000 pieces a day to 50,000. Fashion Four’s output has fallen from 20,000 to 9,000 pieces.
Power Shortfall Adds to the Strain
Savar-Ashulia currently faces an average electricity shortfall of about 100MW, according to Dhaka Palli Bidyut Samity-1 General Manager Akhteruzzaman Laskar. Demand stands at 470-480MW, leaving factories facing 20-25 per cent load-shedding.
“Even nationally, we are receiving less electricity, and the absence of gas has increased demand as well.”
The energy squeeze is now threatening more than factory output. Garment manufacturers say delayed production could jeopardise export schedules and future orders.
BGMEA Member Anup Saha said his factory was struggling with four to five hours of daily power cuts.
“At my own factory, there is no electricity and the gas pressure is very low. As a result, it is taking longer to produce goods for orders on time. Shipments are being delayed.”
BKMEA Director Minhazul Hoque said some factories could no longer maintain even seven or eight uninterrupted hours of production in a 24-hour cycle.
“The biggest risk now concerns deadlines for supplying foreign buyers and shipments.”
He added, “Bangladesh’s garment industry’s reputation in the international market depends largely on delivering goods on time.
“But under the current circumstances, it is becoming difficult to maintain those deadlines. Future orders are now also at risk.”
