After being shut down for seven to six months, the much-discussed state-owned Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) could not keep production running for just 12 hours.
Although the factory started production at around 3:30 am on Saturday (November 1) after a long wait, it was shut down again by 3:15 pm on Sunday.
CUFL Managing Director (MD) Mizanur Rahman told the media, “Production is shut down due to mechanical problems. I am currently at the plant, I will provide details later.” However, no further comment was received despite repeated attempts to contact him.
One of the largest fertilizer factories in the country had been idle since April 11 due to the gas supply being cut off for almost seven months. When Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) stopped gas supply, fertilizer production worth about Tk 3 crore stopped every day.
Although gas supply was restored on October 19, and CUFL started production on Saturday night after a week of mechanical preparations. But within a few hours, production stopped again.
Engineer Shafiul Azam Khan, General Manager of KGDCL's Engineering Services Division, said, "We have not obstructed gas supply. The government decides to keep the factory open or closed, which depends on demand."
The closure of this factory again has become a cause for concern for the country's agro-based economy, say those concerned.
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