The leaders of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) have urged the government to immediately ban yarn imports through land ports and reduce gas prices to protect the local textile industry.
At a press conference held at the Gulshan Club in the capital, BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell warned that the country’s textile industry could face the same fate as jute mills due to flawed policies.
He alleged that domestic textile mills are suffering losses as Indian yarn is being imported through land ports at dumping prices, severely impacting local production.
Showkat recalled that the BNP government had previously banned yarn imports through land ports to protect local industries, which led to growth and job creation. However, he criticised the Awami League government for reversing the policy, allowing unrestricted imports.
“We urge the government to ban yarn imports through land ports. Indian textile mills are dumping yarn and fabric in the Bangladesh market as part of a conspiracy to weaken our textile sector. As a result, our heavily invested industry is now in crisis,” he stated.
He further claimed that the Indian government provides significant incentives to its textile mills, while the Bangladesh government is doing the opposite by withdrawing incentives, increasing gas prices without ensuring an uninterrupted supply, and imposing high bank interest rates.
“Such decisions will destroy our industry,” he warned.
Showkat also revealed that yarn worth Tk8,000-10,000 crore remains unsold in domestic mills due to illegal imports through land ports.
He argued that Indian mills pose a serious threat to Bangladesh’s industry by selling yarn and fabric below production costs, facilitated by smuggling and unauthorised imports.
Speaking at the press conference, BTMA Vice President Md Saleudh Zaman Khan urged the government to reduce gas prices to below Tk20 per unit from the current Tk31 to sustain the industry.
“We are operating factories at half capacity due to low gas pressure. We need sufficient gas to run our factories at full capacity to lower production costs. The government should provide us with incentives now,” he added.
BTMA Director Engineer Razeeb Haider warned that industry leaders might submit factory keys to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) during the upcoming hearing on Wednesday if their demands are not met.
This follows a proposal by the state-owned gas company, Petrobangla, to increase gas prices for industrial and captive power users.
If approved, the new rates would require industries exceeding their sanctioned load to pay Tk75.72 per cubic meter, up from the current Tk30.75 per cubic meter.
“Our industry is being deliberately destroyed. Our neighbouring country has a master plan to ruin Bangladesh’s textile sector,” Razeeb claimed. He also urged the government to adopt fair policies to encourage young entrepreneurs.
BTMA Vice President Md Abul Kalam demanded that bank interest rates be reduced to single digits and fixed at that level for the next three years to promote investment.
“Our trade relations with India will not be negatively affected if imports through land ports are banned,” he assured.
Currently, Bangladesh’s textile sector comprises 1,852 industries with a total investment of $22 billion. The sector’s annual production capacity stands at 4.5 billion kilograms of yarn and nine billion metres of fabric.
The BTMA leaders emphasised that without immediate policy changes, the industry faces severe risks, urging the government to act promptly to safeguard local manufacturers.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
