A sharp fall in stone sales at the Madhyapara Hard Rock Mine has pushed the operation towards a potential halt within a month as stockpiles near full capacity.
Around 1.5 million tonnes of stone remain unsold across all 25 stack yards, including about 8,67,000 tonnes of 40–60 mm ballast mainly used by Bangladesh Railway, according to mine data.
Demand from key buyers such as Bangladesh Railway and Bangladesh Water Development Board has weakened, slowing offtake.
Officials and analysts said rising use of imported stone from India and Bhutan in major government projects has squeezed the domestic market.
Transport constraints have added pressure, with the 13-kilometre railway link from the mine to Bhabanipur largely non-functional for years, forcing reliance on higher-cost road transport.
Production costs have also increased due to higher duties on explosives and rising royalties.
Daily output rose from 700 tonnes to about 5,500 tonnes after Germania-Trest Consortium took over in 2014, helping the mine turn profitable from fiscal 2018–19.
The recent sales slump has pushed the operation back into losses in 2023–24.
Technical experts said Madhyapara stone meets international standards and can withstand up to 25,000 PSI pressure.
Bangladesh’s annual stone demand stands at 20 to 25 million tonnes, with most met through imports.
Imports worth nearly Tk9,000 crore were recorded in the last fiscal year, raising concerns over foreign exchange outflows.
Experts said greater use of domestic stone could reduce import dependency.
Mine officials proposed mandating domestic stone use in public projects, repairing the railway link and revising duties.
Sustained production is becoming difficult as stack yards fill up, said Mine Manager Engineer M Zobaed Hossain.
Failure to increase sales soon could trigger technical and financial losses.
