Amid severe gas and electricity shortages disrupting production, the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) has requested relief from paying the gas and electricity bills for July and August in a single lump sum.
The trade body has appealed to the government to allow factories to pay the bills for these two months in equal installments over the next 12 months.
BKMEA president Mohammad Hatem sent a letter to the Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, seeking his intervention to issue necessary directions in this regard.
The letter noted that during July and August of this year, acute gas and electricity supply crises severely disrupted manufacturing across most industrial units.
In particular, the suspension of gas supplies through cascade cylinders prevented many factories from maintaining normal operations.
Fearing that a total halt in production would jeopardize export orders, employment, and business continuity, many factories were forced to rely on alternative fuels.
They had to purchase diesel, LPG, and other fuels with cash—unforeseen expenses that were not factored into their planned production costs.
BKMEA highlighted that the energy crisis led to falling production on one hand and significantly higher production costs on the other due to alternative fuel usage.
Consequently, settling massive gas and electricity bills all at once would pose a severe financial burden on industrial units.
The trade body stated that granting extra time to settle these bills would offer factories much-needed financial relief, helping keep production and export operations running while safeguarding workers' jobs.
In the letter, Mohammad Hatem emphasized that in the interest of keeping export activities active, maintaining foreign currency earnings, and securing employment, businesses should be allowed to pay their July and August energy bills in equal installments over the next 12 months.
BKMEA requested the minister to issue urgent instructions to the relevant departments and agencies.
Copies of the letter were also forwarded to the Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, the Chairman of Petrobangla, and the Managing Directors of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC, Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), and Dhaka Electricity Supply Company (DESCO).
Industrial entrepreneurs fear that if the financial burden of large energy bills is added atop production losses during an ongoing energy crisis, many institutions will face even greater distress.
BKMEA believes that offering installment options during this critical period will help sustain industrial units and protect export revenue flows.