The state-owned Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL), located in Anwara upazila of Chattogram, has resumed production after remaining shut for six and a half months due to a severe gas shortage. Following the completion of the startup process, full-scale urea production began early Sunday, November 2.
CUFL Managing Director Mizanur Rahman confirmed the resumption and said that workers, officers, and staff are delighted to see operations back on track. He noted that when operating at full capacity, the factory can produce up to 1,100 metric tons of urea fertilizer per day, equivalent to approximately Tk 41.8 million at current market prices. The six-and-a-half-month suspension resulted in an estimated production loss worth around Tk 8.5 billion.
According to factory sources, CUFL has experienced multiple closures in recent years due to gas shortages and technical issues. In the 2023–24 fiscal year, the plant operated for only five days. Production was also suspended between February and April 2023, though limited output was possible intermittently. The factory faced another major technical breakdown on January 3 this year, requiring a prolonged repair effort. Operations resumed briefly on February 26 but were halted again on April 11 due to renewed gas shortages. Gas supply was finally restored on October 19, allowing the restart process to begin.
Established on October 29, 1987, with technical assistance from Japan, the fertilizer plant was set up by the government on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River at Rangadia in Anwara upazila. At its inception, CUFL had a daily production capacity of 1,700 metric tons and an annual capacity of 561,000 metric tons of urea. Currently, it can produce 1,100 metric tons of urea per day, along with 800 metric tons of ammonia daily—or about 310,000 metric tons annually.
Factory officials added that full-capacity production at CUFL requires between 48 and 52 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. Owing to persistent gas shortages and recurring mechanical problems, the plant produced only about 250,000 metric tons of urea in the last fiscal year.
Bangladesh’s annual demand for urea fertilizer is around 2.6 million metric tons. Of this, approximately 1 million metric tons are produced by CUFL and other factories operated by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), while the remaining 1.6 million metric tons must be imported at high cost to meet domestic demand.
