'Factories Are Being Killed'

Bangladesh's textile industry, the backbone of the country's $45 billion garment export sector, is reeling from an acute energy crisis.

- EP Desk

At a press conference held on 25 May, leaders of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and other top business groups painted a bleak picture: textile mills are now running at only 40%-50% capacity, factory closures are spreading, and the ability to pay wages and bonuses before Eid-ul-Azha is at serious risk.

“If I talk about our industry, I will return to 1971,” said Showkat Aziz Russell, president of the BTMA and chairman of Amber Group. “The way intellectuals were killed in 1971 — that was a great loss to the country. Now, in 2025, industrial entrepreneurs and industries are being killed in the same way.”

Russell's statement, though emotive, captured the desperation felt across the manufacturing sector. His comment was later strongly denounced by the chief adviser's office as “deeply disrespectful” and “historically inaccurate.” Still, the crisis itself remains undeniable.

The BTMA and other business leaders say the government has failed to deliver on its 14 May commitment to supply an additional 250 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) of gas to the industrial sector. Many factories, especially those reliant on captive power generation, report dwindling gas pressure, frequently dropping as low as 1-2 psi — far below operational requirements.

“We are paying gas bills. We are servicing bank loans. But factories are being shut down,” Russell said. “This feels like a conspiracy against the very industry that has built this economy.”

Eid Bonus Uncertainty, Shipment Delays