‘The Situation is Dire’: Hostilities on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Supplies.
The shockwaves of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now impacting India's kitchens.
As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy transports through the vital shipping lane, availability of kitchen fuel are tightening across India, compelling restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether.
Social media is filled with video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the worst hit: the biggest crunch is in restaurant kitchens.
"The state of affairs is alarming. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a representative of the a major restaurant body.
Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "Numerous restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the southern region. People are switching to solid fuels and induction stoves to keep kitchens going."
City-Specific Fallout
In a western metro, media reports say up to a 20% of eateries are already operating at reduced capacity as commercial LPG supplies dry up. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with little backup. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru.
Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are skipping midday meals and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies come and go. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a changing landscape."
Retailers observe a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them.
Authority's View
Yet, the officials insists there is sufficient stock.
India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and officials say supplies are being reallocated to households as conflict-related stress from the regional hostilities impact energy markets.
Roughly six out of ten of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now significantly disrupted by the war.
The petroleum ministry says that it instructed refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, enhancing domestic production by about a quarter. Non-domestic supply is being allocated for critical services such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "just and open".
"A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been caused by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative.
Growing Panic
Now the worry is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of scooters outside a petrol pump. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads.
According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be overstated.
India imports 90% of its petroleum. Around a significant portion of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Gulf countries.
Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a sector expert.
Based on maritime intelligence and expert analysis, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day.
"Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted.
LPG: The Real Vulnerability
The primary concern is kitchen fuel, experts note.
India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the chokepoint.
Refineries can modify output to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only increase domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports.
In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be moderately reduced through diversification. Processed petroleum stocks remains fairly adequate. LPG availability is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks."
What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the usual problem of stockpiling.
An industry representative states price gouging.
"Suppliers are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and sold to the highest bidder."
For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next refill.
