The frozen shrimp industry in the Khulna region is facing a severe crisis due to prolonged power outages and fuel shortages, threatening one of the area's key export sectors.
Electricity supply in Khulna has been disrupted for 7 to 10 hours daily, both day and night, causing serious risks to shrimp stored in cold storage facilities. Factory owners say the situation has forced them to rely heavily on generators, significantly increasing operational costs and financial strain.
Industry insiders report that earlier, diesel was supplied directly to factories from depots, but that system has now been suspended. As a result, factory operators are struggling to secure adequate fuel to run generators. Exporters have called for uninterrupted electricity supply and easier access to diesel to sustain production. There are around 65 shrimp processing and freezing factories in the Khulna region. Of these, approximately 30 to 35 factories are located in the Rupsha industrial area, employing between 25,000 and 30,000 workers.
MizanurRahman, assistant manager at Southern Foods Limited, said frequent outages are putting stored shrimp at risk. "There is no electricity for 7 to 10 hours out of 24 hours. To keep cold storage running, about 75 liters of diesel are needed per hour, costing roughly Tk 40,000 to Tk 45,000 per day," he said.
Nazmul Huda Chowdhury, manager of Rozemco Foods Limited in Rupsha, said uninterrupted power is critical after shrimp are processed for export. "Shrimp worth around Tk 350 million are currently stored in three cold storages here. Continuous load shedding over the past few days has increased the risk of spoilage," he said.
He added that while electricity costs around Tk 4,500 per hour, running generators requires diesel costing Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 per hour, pushing production costs up by three to four times and threatening profitability.
Industry stakeholders have urged the government to prioritize diesel supply for the shrimp sector, similar to support given to the garment industry. They have submitted applications to the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association, the district administration, and local authorities seeking urgent intervention.
Although the government has announced measures to ensure priority diesel supply to industries amid the ongoing fuel crisis, factory owners say these have yet to be effectively implemented in Khulna.
In many remote upazilas across districts including Khulna, Jessore, and Barisal, fuel distribution remains limited even under normal conditions. Previously.
, 1.7 to 1.8 million liters of fuel oil were supplied daily from depots to industrial establishments and distribution points. However, due to the ongoing war situation, depot-level fuel sales to industries have been halted, deepening the crisis for Khulna's shrimp sector.
