Figure 9. Economic Activity, 1988

Natural Gas

One of the country's few mineral resources is natural gas, which is the basis for nitrogenous fertilizer production sufficient to meet the country's needs. Estimated national reserves range from 182 billion to 623 billion cubic meters. Deposits lie in more than a dozen different locations, six of which were producing in 1986. The country's gas production is concentrated in the northeastern part of the country (see fig. 9). Reserves also have been discovered offshore, but extraction is not yet cost effective.

Total gas production in FY 1986 was 2.9 billion cubic meters, with production rising at least 10 percent per year. All production was consumed domestically. About 40 percent of production was used for generating power, nearly 40 percent for producing fertilizer, and the rest divided among industrial, commercial, and household uses. Even by conservative estimates of reserves and consumption trends, the supply was expected to be adequate for Bangladesh's requirements through the year 2030.

Data as of September 1988