The country鈥檚 textile manufacturers on Wednesday called for an uninterrupted supply of both gas and electricity, along with enhanced security measures to ensure the sector鈥檚 survival.
At a press conference held at the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association鈥檚 office in the city, industry representatives claimed that the sector was currently operating at only 30 per cent capacity due to a severe shortage of gas.
The shortage of gas has significantly disrupted production schedules, impacting the ability of textile businesses to fulfill their commitments and maintain their competitive edge on the global market, they mentioned.
鈥榃e urgently need an immediate solution to the gas shortage, support from banks to expedite opening of letters of credit and enhanced security measures to address the ongoing labour unrest,鈥� BTMA president Showkat Aziz Russell said.
He said that these actions were crucial for stabilising the sector, ensuring smooth operations and restoring confidence of global stakeholders.聽
Russell also asserted that the textile sector had become a neglected industry, despite its critical role in the country鈥檚 economic development.
He attributed the situation to inadequate government policy support and suggested that using just 10 per cent of the money laundered from the country as incentives could help turn the industry around.
In light of an escalating labour unrest, Russell said that some foreign stakeholders were dissatisfied with the current situation.
He urged the police to extend the same level of support to the industry that they had historically provided to the government.
BTMA president also called for rescheduling bank loans for the textile sector, highlighting that 90 per cent of factories had not yet received the low-interest loans promised by the interim government to help cover workers鈥� wages.
BTMA director Mosharraf Hossain said that the price of gas increased fourfold under the previous government, yet an uninterrupted supply was not ensured.
He also said that without cooperation from banks, sustaining industry operations in the future would become increasingly challenging.
BTMA director Khorshed Alam identified four key reasons for workers鈥� dissatisfaction, namely wage issues at some factories, disputes over control of jhut businesses, instigation from foreign sources and interference from local political leaders.
He also alleged that clothing worth Tk 1,000 crore was being smuggled into the country from neighbouring states.
According to Khorshed Alam, these garments were being smuggled in trucks disguised as shipments of stones.
He called for an immediate halt on the import of yarns and other textile goods through land ports to address this issue.
BTMA vice-president Md Saleudh Zaman Khan said that a neighbouring country was engaging in the dumping of yarn in Bangladesh.
BTMA director Razeeb Haider said that the current gas crisis was a result of the government鈥檚 own negligence in failing to drill new wells.
As a result, the country has become increasingly dependent on gas imports, he said.
