The textile industry in several crucial regions, including Manikganj, Gazipur, Savar, Narayanganj, Dhamrai, and Chittagong is facing a severe gas supply issue, resulting in factory closures and a significant drop in productivity.

This gas shortage has caused substantial setbacks for textile mills, especially those located in these areas even as textile manufacturers have reported that the current low gas pressure and reduced supply volume have made production unfeasible in many mills.

This is as per media reports which added the operational expenses of these factories have exceeded their production capacities, raising concerns about the potential loss of work orders if production cannot be sustained even as many mills are currently operating at only 30-40 per cent capacity due to insufficient gas pressure in their industrial facilities.

Reports indicate that gas pressure in these regions has dropped as low as 1.5 pounds per square inch (psi), which is far below the approved requirement of 10 psi or more for normal operations.

Mohd. Khorshed Alam, Chairman of Little Group and former director of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) revealed that Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) had initially collected a three-month security deposit totaling Taka 100 billion from textile mills, promising to develop the necessary infrastructure for adequate gas supply in terms of pressure and volume. However, this agreement has not been upheld, leading to setbacks in production.

Currently, approximately 450 spinning mills fulfill 80 per cent of the demand for yarn in local knitwear factories, making them the primary gas consumers in this sector.