🔗 Share this article ‘An Alarming State of Affairs’: Hostilities on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Supplies. People wait in lines to buy cooking gas cylinders for domestic use in a major Indian city. The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of cooking gas are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies escalate. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the biggest crunch is in food service establishments. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the an industry group. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in the capital, many in the south. People are switching to coal and wood and electric cookers to keep food preparation going." City-Specific Fallout In a western metro, media reports say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already operating at reduced capacity as cylinder availability tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their cylinder inventory have depleted with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies wax and wane. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation." Retailers note a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are selling out quickly. Official Position Yet, the authorities states there is adequate supply. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and authorities say supplies are being reallocated to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets. About six out of ten of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the hostilities. The relevant department says that it directed refineries to increase LPG output for domestic use, lifting domestic production by about a quarter. Non-domestic supply is being reserved for vital industries such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Widening Concern Now the worry is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of motorbikes outside a fuel station. "Anxiety is palpable," the text reads. India sources up to a vast majority of the petroleum it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in global supplies. According to data from market experts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be overstated. India imports almost all of its crude oil. Around half of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the deficit could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and expert analysis, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is LPG, experts note. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the Strait. Refineries can adjust processes to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. Cooking gas supply is the real variable to watch in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative states price gouging. "Suppliers are taking advantage of the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold at a premium." For now, India's petroleum stocks may be cushioned by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next refill.
People wait in lines to buy cooking gas cylinders for domestic use in a major Indian city. The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of cooking gas are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies escalate. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the biggest crunch is in food service establishments. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the an industry group. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in the capital, many in the south. People are switching to coal and wood and electric cookers to keep food preparation going." City-Specific Fallout In a western metro, media reports say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already operating at reduced capacity as cylinder availability tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their cylinder inventory have depleted with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies wax and wane. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation." Retailers note a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are selling out quickly. Official Position Yet, the authorities states there is adequate supply. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and authorities say supplies are being reallocated to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets. About six out of ten of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the hostilities. The relevant department says that it directed refineries to increase LPG output for domestic use, lifting domestic production by about a quarter. Non-domestic supply is being reserved for vital industries such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Widening Concern Now the worry is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of motorbikes outside a fuel station. "Anxiety is palpable," the text reads. India sources up to a vast majority of the petroleum it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in global supplies. According to data from market experts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be overstated. India imports almost all of its crude oil. Around half of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the deficit could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and expert analysis, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is LPG, experts note. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the Strait. Refineries can adjust processes to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. Cooking gas supply is the real variable to watch in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative states price gouging. "Suppliers are taking advantage of the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold at a premium." For now, India's petroleum stocks may be cushioned by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next refill.