Ctg fertilizer factory closure incurs crores of taka losses

News Desk :
The operation of Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) has been suspended for the last 50 days on the plea of repairs, incurring the state-owned factory crores of taka losses every day.
A fire incident at CUFL’s ammonia plant compelled the factory to be closed on 22 November last year.
Although the production remains suspended, the government has to pay salaries to more than 900 employees working there.
This is not the first time the factory faced such a closure for repair work.
Earlier, the factory was closed for about one and a half years in 2019-20 and for two and a half months from December 2021 due to mechanical problems.
The operation was suspended for several days in July last year due to gas shortage.
CUFL Managing Director Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said the repair work may get completed by 27-28 February.
He also mentioned that factories can typically run for up to 20 years. But the CUFL factory is more than 35 years old. As a result, defects are seen in various parts of the old factory-requiring repair.
He also noted that it becomes difficult to bear the growing repair expenses.
The government established the fertiliser factory at Rangadia of Anwara upazila on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River with the technical assistance of Japan on 29 October, 1987.