An acute natural gas shortage across primary industrial belts - including Savar, Gazipur, and Narayanganj - has forced Bangladeshi spinning, weaving, and dyeing mills to cut production by up to 50 per cent. Triggered by an offshore LNG regasification outage alongside long-term grid deficits, gas line pressure in key hubs has fallen from 15 PSI to near-zero levels, preventing boilers and captive generators from operating. To honor tight autumn supply schedules for Western retail buyers, mills are resorting to expensive diesel generators, quadrupling daily energy costs and eroding operational margins across the $25 billion primary textile sector.

Policy interventions aeek emergency energy prioritization

The supply crunch threatens lead times for finished readymade garments, risking order cancellations and financial penalties from global fashion retailers. Factories continue paying full wages despite running at halved capacity, severely draining working capital, states Showkat Aziz Russell, President, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA). Following emergency consultations between millers and government officials, interim measures have been authorized to divert CNG supplies directly to garment units while the state accelerates infrastructure repairs to restore industrial fuel lines.

Maintaining competitiveness across international fashion markets

Established in 1983, Dhaka-headquartered Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) represents over 1,700 private spinning, weaving, and textile processing units nationwide. Driving raw yarn and fabric supply for the country’s apparel export engine, BTMA works with government authorities to secure energy allocations, optimize trade tariffs, and maintain competitiveness across international fashion markets.