The Ashuganj Fertilizer and Chemical Company Ltd in Brahmanbaria has once again halted urea production indefinitely due to a gas supply crisis, just 38 days after resuming operations.
Gas supply to the factory was cut off on Saturday night, forcing a complete shutdown, confirmed General Manager (Operations) AB Mahmud.
Previously, the factory remained non-operational from February 21 to November 14 last year due to gas shortages.
Following protests by workers, the Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited resumed gas supply on November 15, allowing the factory to restart production on January 23 after necessary preparations. However, just over a month later, the same issue has resurfaced.
According to factory officials, Ashuganj fertilizer factory has a production capacity of 1,150 tons of urea per day but requires at least 48 million cubic feet of gas daily for normal operations. While a gas connection was available, production could not run at full capacity due to low pressure.
On Saturday evening, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited completely stopped gas supply to the factory, leading to the indefinite suspension of production.
General Manager AB Mahmud said: "Fertilizer cannot be produced without gas. As a result, the factory's production has been halted. It is unclear when operations will resume."
Meanwhile, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited Deputy General Manager Engineer Zahidur Reza said: "The gas supply to Ashuganj Fertilizer Factory has been stopped by a government decision. When or if the supply will resume is also up to the government. It is likely that the factory will not receive gas this season."
