You don't need to hoard tissue
The coronavirus pandemic has fuelled the demand for tissues globally and Bangladesh, where new cases of contagion are getting identified, is not an exception.
Shoppers listed below are thronging shops for tissues plus some are even shopping for more than they want amid a panic that is spreading like wildfire.
However, local cells makers say they even now have 20-30 per cent of spare production capacity and may meet increased demand.
"We can supply as much as you want. We have stored half of our machines shut," explained Md Mustafizur Rahman, deputy taking care of director of Bashundhara Group that has the country's biggest paper mill.
Bashundhara can produce 6,000 tonnes of cells a month, out from the local industry's total capability of around 9,000 tonnes.
Bangladesh consumes practically 4,000 tonnes of tissues per month. Bashundhara meets almost all of the demand accompanied by Meghna and Bangla Cells, according to sector operators.
More than a dozen cells makers are actually in operations out of the 22 in the country, where Tk 480 crore worth of cells were sold in 2018, up from just Tk 230 crore in 2008.
Bashundhara now utilises 90 per cent of its production potential, Rahman said. "We promote 50 % of our items locally and export the others."
"But we will not export tissues now. Somewhat we will give attention to meeting the local demand first in order that there is absolutely no scarcity right here," he said.
Rahman cited incidents of toilet paper thefts and shelves becoming empty at stores in developed countries and said, "We can assure you that this will not happen found in Bangladesh. We can deliver the entire dependence on the country."
"Bangladesh has enough capacity. So, there is little or nothing to worry about," explained Sukanta Kumar Saha, assistant general manager for export and worldwide market of the Meghna Pulp & Paper Mills Ltd, which market segments Fresh tissue.
The domestic market isn't big plenty of for the tissue manufacturers to use their full capacity, he said.
"Invest the export into consideration, up to 70 per cent capacity of the whole industry happens to be being utilised."
Meghna Pulp & Paper, a problem of Meghna Group of Industries, can make 1,500 tonnes of tissues per month working with 80 percent of its capacity.
The domestic require for tissue soared 20 percent now, compared to the same time this past year, because of a investing in spree amid the coronavirus outbreak, said Mamun Hossain, head of sales of Nissho Koeki Tissue Papers Co Ltd (NKTP) that marketplaces Bangla Tissue.
He as well echoed the opinions of Saha. "The industry's production capacity continues to be higher than the demand."
Only 20 % of Bangladesh's population use tissue, Hossain said, adding that the utilization of tissue may increase in the times to come as persons are looking for ways to fight coronavirus.
However, a large part of the populace, particularly low-profits group, can be unlikely to make use of tissue, he said.
"So, it'll be very much practical to meet the additional demand by using the industry's spare ability. You don't have to stockpile."
Even there is absolutely no possibility of a price hike in forseeable future, said Rahman of Bashundhara. "We've no plan to increase rates amid crisis."
On selling price hike at the retail amounts, he said the clients should follow the maximum retail cost (MRP) printed in the packages.
"If anybody anywhere expenses a lot more than the MRP, we've the consumer helpline. The customers should inform us. They can also data file compliant to the consumer rights protection authority."
