"Fuel crisis, weak demand cut factory capacity to 50-60pc", 26 April 2026

President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Mohammad Hatem said that factories are struggling to operate at full capacity due to a shortage of fuel.

"Exports have fallen in recent months, while factories are currently operating at only 50-60 per cent of their capacity.

"Right now, energy shortage is one of the biggest problems. The government says that there is no fuel shortage or crisis, but in reality, we are not getting fuel in filling stations," he said.

...factories are experiencing two to three hours of load-shedding on an average daily while units in Gazipur, Savar and other areas even face up to seven hours, he alleged

...the BKMEA leader said that in many cases factories are unable to procure fuel, as filling stations are not allowed to supply fuel in containers under instructions from the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation...

He said overall production costs have increased by at least 20 per cent, but exporters are unable to pass on the additional costs to buyers as prices are fixed in advance.

Meanwhile, global demand has declined, leading buyers to reduce order placements.

...due to the global economic slowdown, consumer spending has marked a fall in key markets...

As a result, order volumes have decreased globally...