Less gas supply stops production at Jamuna Fertilizer factory

Md. Abu Bakar Siddique, Jamalpur

Jamuna Fertilizer Factory, the country’s largest urea fertilizer producer, located in Tarakandi of Sarishabari Upazila in the district, has stopped production due to gas shortage.

Conscious people are apprehending fertilizer shortage in 21 command districts. However, referring to the import of fertilizer, the factory authorities said that there will be no crisis.

According to factory sources, “Jamuna Fertilizer factory is an accredited company of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation. At the beginning of this factory established in 1990, the daily production capacity was 1,700 metric tons. Due to gas shortage and reduced mechanical capacity, its production has decreased from 1,300 to 1,400 MT per day. Although the annual target of 3.30 lakh MT has been set, in the last fiscal year, 2,44,255 MT of fertilizer was produced in this factory. In the last financial year, the annual target was not achieved due to stoppage of gas supply on nominal pretexts. This time its capacity has decreased further. The factory has been unable to produce due to gas shortage this season. As the pressure of gas dropped faster than the demand, the authorities stopped the production of fertilizer from last June 21, considering the safety of the factory. Fertilizer production requires 40 to 45 million cubic feet of gas per day. Gradually the gas supply came down to a lower level. As a result, production started falling short of the daily target. Due to gas shortage, the factory has stopped production of fertilizer, but due to frequent electrical loadshedding, the fear of not resuming production has surfaced.”

Conscious circles feel that the decision to cut off the supply of Titas gas in the plan to decommission the world’s seventh largest fertilizer factory will seriously undermine the national interest.

Many people think that this is not any single authority’s plot to hamper the country’s graduation towards a middle-income country from a marginal-income country by stopping such big industries. In this situation, the dealers are fearing severe shortage of urea fertilizer in the upcoming season in 21 districts under Jamuna Fertilizer.

Factory authorities say that it will be possible to meet the local demand through imported fertilizers. At the same time, they hope to get back to production soon after overcoming the crisis. But for this all will have to wait till next September.

Meanwhile, the price of Titas gas has been increased since the beginning of this July. In this, the factory has to multiply the loss in fertilizer production every month. In the financial year 2022-23, BCIC has set a target of 4.50 lakh tonnes of fertilizer production. At present, there is 70,064 tonnes of fertilizer stock in the factory.

General Manager (Operation) of the factory Abdul Hakeem said that the production of fertilizer has stopped due to the stoppage of Titas gas supply to the factory.

Moazzem Hossain, president of the factory’s CBA, said that Jamuna Fertilizer factory is not getting gas supply as per the government decision. Because of this, it cannot return to production. He hopes to get out of this situation by next September.