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Bangladesh:Power shortages hamper exports |
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2005-2-21
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The industrial production, particularly of the textile and garment industry is being severely affected due to frequent load-shedding and intermittent power supply, across the country.
Exporters are a harried lot as it is being difficult for them to maintain their shipments as per schedule.
Apart from the above sector, agriculture and fertilizer production has also been affected.
Even major cities of Bangladesh like Dhaka and Chittagong have had to bear the brunt of daily load-shedding between 300 MW and 400 MW for the last couple of days.
As per Ghulam Faruq, Vice President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the production loss worth Tk 100 million is being faced due to power disruption. Those small and medium apparel manufacturing plants not possessing generators are the worst affected.
The BGMEA leader said the power disruption has been taking place at a crucial time when manufacturers are facing stiff competition globally. "The lack of power is affecting our productivity," he observed.
Shrimp and garment exporters state that power failure has played a major role in getting their orders cancelled.
A senior leader at the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the port city was experiencing around 200 MW of load shedding a day for the last few days.
"We are having a production loss of around Tk 30 million a day," said Mohammad Ershadullah, a director of CCCI and a vice president of BGMEA there.
Managing Director of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh ANM Rezwan blamed shortfall in power production due to insufficient supply of gas and further added that the situation is unlikely to improve before March when a number of fresh gas wells are expected to go in to production.
A Dhaka Electric Supply Authority official said the city was supposed to experience a load-shedding of 200 MW Friday. |
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