The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has urged immediate government intervention to address the ongoing gas and electricity crisis that is significantly disrupting production in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector.
A BGMEA delegation, led by its President Mahmud Hasan Khan, met with Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud and State Minister Anindya Islam Amit at the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources on Monday. The meeting focused on ensuring uninterrupted energy supply to sustain industrial production and export continuity.
During the discussion, BGMEA leaders noted that although buyer confidence had begun to recover following the national elections, ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have created fresh uncertainty in global markets. Bangladesh’s garment industry, already facing structural challenges, is now under additional pressure due to limited energy security compared to competing countries.
The association highlighted that insufficient gas and electricity supply has reduced factory production capacity by approximately 25–30%. Industrial hubs such as Gazipur and Ashulia are experiencing frequent power outages, while inadequate diesel supply for generators is further compounding the situation, leading to production disruptions and delays in shipment schedules.At the same time, rising fuel prices have increased the cost of raw materials and transportation, pushing overall production costs higher and affecting the sector’s competitiveness in the international market.
In response to the crisis, BGMEA placed several proposals before the government, including ensuring uninterrupted diesel supply through dedicated arrangements, providing urgent gas connections for small and medium-sized factories, and ensuring equitable gas distribution across industrial zones. The association also called for fast-tracking the installation of additional floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) and simplifying the implementation of EVC metering systems to improve efficiency in energy management.
The discussion also placed strong emphasis on renewable energy adoption. BGMEA requested significant reductions in import duties and taxes on solar photovoltaic components such as panels, inverters, DC cables, and battery energy storage systems (BESS), proposing a reduction of existing duties—ranging from 28.73% to 61.80%—to just 1% in order to accelerate green industrial transformation.
Energy Secretary Mohammad Saiful Islam was also present at the meeting. The minister assured that the government would take necessary steps to address the situation, recognizing the RMG sector’s vital contribution to the national economy. Immediate approval was also granted to facilitate diesel supply from nearby filling stations under a special arrangement aimed at easing the ongoing crisis.
