The output at the country’s steel and cement factories has fallen almost by a third due to the power and gas crisis, a hike in raw material prices in the global market, and the US dollar shortage, manufacturers said yesterday. 

The production cost of MS rod will go up by TK 10,350 per tonne due to proposed value added tax (VAT) and tax system in FY 2019-20, steel millers say.

A worker was killed and 10 others suffered burn injuries when melted iron fell on them at a steel factory in Chittagong's Sitakunda