N’ganj industry struggles amid fuel shortage

Amid the ongoing global fuel crisis, the economy of Narayanganj is facing mounting challenges, with industrial production and goods transportation significantly affected.

A shortage of diesel has led to a sharp decline in the number of trucks operating across the district.

Business owners report that, taking advantage of the situation, transport fares have increased by Tk 3,000–4,000 per trip. At the same time, the fuel shortage is beginning to disrupt factory production.

In key areas such as Kanchpur in Sonargaon and the Fatullah industrial zone, along with other parts of the district, a shortage of trucks, inactive cranes at river ports and halted unloading operations have severely disrupted the supply chain.

Business leaders warn that if the situation continues, shortages of food, essential goods, life-saving medicines and agricultural products may emerge.

To manage the crisis, fuel is being distributed to petrol stations under a government rationing system. However, stations are receiving only about one-third of their required supply, making it difficult to meet daily demand.

Pump owners in Sonargaon, Siddhirganj, Fatullah and the city report financial losses due to the irregular supply. Operators say that fuel stocks are exhausted within hours of delivery. Supplies arrive intermittently from depots every few days, leading to long queues of vehicles. Drivers often wait for hours but are forced to return without fuel.

At river port areas, operations have largely stalled. Due to the diesel shortage, cranes at Pagla Madrasaghat, Dapaghat and Munshikhola Ghat are not functioning, bringing unloading activities almost to a halt.

Export-oriented garment factories, which rely on diesel-powered generators and boilers, are also facing disruptions. Insufficient diesel supply is forcing factories to suspend production during power outages.

Deputy Commissioner Md. Raihan Kabir said monitoring is underway at four depots and 55 filling stations under the supervision of the Additional District Magistrate. Officials are closely monitoring fuel stocks, and he expressed hope that the situation will return to normal soon.

Narayanganj, one of the country’s three major fertiliser distribution hubs supplying 25 districts, is also affected. Timely fertiliser distribution is now at risk. Arju, manager of Manama Group, said that where around 100 trucks previously transported fertiliser daily, the number has dropped to about 30.

Petrol pump manager Mohammad Arman Mia of Janani Pump in Pagla said they require 10,000 litres of fuel daily but are receiving only 3,000 litres, with no supply at all in the past three days.

Mokarram Sardar, a crane owner at Aliganj Madrasaghat, said around 30 lighter vessels carrying bran, corn, wheat and fertiliser remain stranded due to the shutdown of crane operations. Although some goods are being unloaded manually, the main operations have effectively stopped.

Transport operators also reported sharp declines in activity. Sohag, owner of Panchabati Transport, said that whereas five companies previously operated around 20 trips daily, this has now fallen to just 4–5 trips. Freight rates have risen from Tk 1,200 per tonne to Tk 1,800–1,900.

Nizam Uddin Ratan of Anwar Trading said rice shipments to at least 15 districts outside Dhaka have been disrupted due to the truck shortage.

Business leaders warned that unless fuel supply stabilises quickly, shortages of essential goods could worsen.