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Production at Jamuna Fertiliser Company in Sarishabari, Jamalpur, has been suspended again due to a gas shortage, just two days after the factory resumed operations following a 16-day shutdown.
The factory halted urea production at 5am on Sunday (October 25), said Fazlul Haque, head of its production department, confirming the development later in the day.
The factory, which has a daily production capacity of 1,700 tonnes of urea, had remained closed for seven months due to a gas shortage before receiving a gas connection on September 20 and restarting production.
However, production was suspended again on October 7 after a technical fault developed in the boiler plant. Following repairs, the factory resumed operations on October 23, only to shut down again because of inadequate gas supply.
Haque said the plant requires a gas pressure of 42–43 pounds per square inch (PSI) to maintain uninterrupted production. As the supply has fallen short of requirements, production has been halted until gas pressure returns to normal. Titas Gas supplies gas to the factory.
According to factory sources, production had also remained suspended from January 2024 to November 2025 because of gas shortages and mechanical problems. Operations resumed after gas pressure improved but were halted again on February 12 this year due to another supply shortage. The factory remained closed for seven months before gas was restored on September 20.
The prolonged shutdowns have contributed to mechanical and technical problems, hampering the factory’s ability to meet its production targets.
Listed under the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), Jamuna Fertiliser supplies fertiliser to 21 districts, including Jamalpur, Sherpur, Mymensingh and Tangail, through a network of 1,900 dealers.
When operating normally, the factory produces fertiliser worth around Tk 200 crore a month, generating an estimated profit of Tk 60 crore, according to factory sources. Even when production is suspended, the plant incurs around Tk 6 crore in gas bills to keep its facilities operational, in addition to other expenses.
A prolonged shutdown could disrupt fertiliser supplies to farmers and potentially affect agricultural production, particularly if the shortage persists during key farming periods.