‘The Situation is Dire’: Hostilities on Iran Constricts India's Cooking-Gas Stock.
The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households.
As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, stocks of cooking gas are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases close completely.
Social media is filled with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian metros and localities as anxieties over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens.
"Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply cannot be found," says a official of the National Restaurant Association of India.
Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being noticed across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the southern region. People are turning to coal and wood and electric cookers to keep food preparation going."
Localized Effects
In a western metro, accounts say up to a fifth of eateries are already operating at reduced capacity as commercial LPG supplies tighten. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some restaurants say their cylinder inventory have depleted with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Commerce will take a hit," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru.
Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies wax and wane. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a changing landscape."
Retailers report a spike in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are selling out quickly.
Authority's View
Yet, the officials maintains there is no shortage.
India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and authorities say cylinders are being redirected to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets.
Approximately six out of ten of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now largely blocked by the hostilities.
The petroleum ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, raising domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being prioritised for critical services such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "fair and transparent".
"A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been caused by misinformation. The normal delivery cycle for home fuel remains about two-and-a-half days," says a senior official.
Spreading Anxiety
Now the concern is extending beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of motorbikes outside a fuel station. "Concern is genuine," the text reads.
According to data from market experts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be overstated.
India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around 50% of its crude oil imports - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Middle Eastern nations.
Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the deficit could be partly compensated for by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a sector expert.
Based on maritime intelligence and expert analysis, additional Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, reducing 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 on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted.
Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern
The key weakness is LPG, commentators observe.
India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the chokepoint.
Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports.
In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. Cooking gas supply is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks."
What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but erratic supply chains - and the familiar spectre of hoarding.
An industry representative alleges exploitative practices.
"Distributors are exploiting the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a inflated price. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and auctioned off."
For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by international market dynamics. But in kitchens across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
