🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Conflict on Iran Tightens India's Cooking-Gas Availability. People line up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in an urban center. The shockwaves of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy transports through the Strait of Hormuz, stocks of cooking gas are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases close completely. Social media is filled with video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the hardest struck: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "The state of affairs is alarming. LPG simply isn't available," says a official of the an industry group. Most food outlets run either on commercial LPG cylinders or direct gas lines, and the lack of supply are now being noticed across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are adopting solid fuels and induction stoves to keep kitchens going." Regional Impact In a western metro, local news say up to a 20% of hotels and restaurants are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their gas stocks have depleted with little backup. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and nothing else - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A food joint in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are skipping midday meals and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are changing as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation." Retailers note a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Official Position Yet, the authorities insists there is sufficient stock. India has more than 30 crore home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being prioritized to households as tensions from the regional hostilities impact energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the hostilities. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Business-grade fuel is being allocated for essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "A degree of anxious stocking and hoarding has been sparked by rumors. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the concern is extending beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of motorbikes outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India brings in up to most of the petroleum it requires, leaving it significantly susceptible to problems in global supplies. According to analysis from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Gulf countries. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a sector expert. Based on shipping data and credible market sources, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through Hormuz. Refineries can tweak operations to extract a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be somewhat alleviated through varied suppliers. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. Cooking gas supply is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative claims exploitative practices. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold at a premium." For now, India's petroleum stocks may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next refill.
People line up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in an urban center. The shockwaves of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy transports through the Strait of Hormuz, stocks of cooking gas are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases close completely. Social media is filled with video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the hardest struck: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "The state of affairs is alarming. LPG simply isn't available," says a official of the an industry group. Most food outlets run either on commercial LPG cylinders or direct gas lines, and the lack of supply are now being noticed across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are adopting solid fuels and induction stoves to keep kitchens going." Regional Impact In a western metro, local news say up to a 20% of hotels and restaurants are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their gas stocks have depleted with little backup. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and nothing else - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A food joint in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are skipping midday meals and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are changing as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation." Retailers note a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Official Position Yet, the authorities insists there is sufficient stock. India has more than 30 crore home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being prioritized to households as tensions from the regional hostilities impact energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the hostilities. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Business-grade fuel is being allocated for essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "A degree of anxious stocking and hoarding has been sparked by rumors. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the concern is extending beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of motorbikes outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India brings in up to most of the petroleum it requires, leaving it significantly susceptible to problems in global supplies. According to analysis from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Gulf countries. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a sector expert. Based on shipping data and credible market sources, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through Hormuz. Refineries can tweak operations to extract a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be somewhat alleviated through varied suppliers. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. Cooking gas supply is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative claims exploitative practices. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold at a premium." For now, India's petroleum stocks may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next refill.