🔗 Share this article ‘The Situation is Dire’: War on Iran Squeezes India's LPG Supplies. People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in an urban center. The shockwaves of a military engagement being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's homes. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, stocks of cooking gas are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to shorten food lists, shorten hours and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Businesses appear the worst hit: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply is unavailable," says a representative of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most eateries run either on commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Numerous restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the south. People are adopting coal and wood and induction stoves to keep food preparation going." Regional Impact In Mumbai, media reports say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their gas stocks have shrunk with little backup. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and nothing else - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. It's a changing landscape." Retailers observe a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the authorities states there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of household consumers and spokespersons say cylinders are being reallocated to households as geopolitical strain from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Approximately 60% of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being allocated for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for home fuel 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 lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the description reads. India brings in up to 90% of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to problems in worldwide shipments. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective gap 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 on the water 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 real vulnerability is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to extract a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through varied suppliers. Processed petroleum stocks remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative claims price gouging. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold at a premium." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in an urban center. The shockwaves of a military engagement being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's homes. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, stocks of cooking gas are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to shorten food lists, shorten hours and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Businesses appear the worst hit: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply is unavailable," says a representative of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most eateries run either on commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Numerous restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the south. People are adopting coal and wood and induction stoves to keep food preparation going." Regional Impact In Mumbai, media reports say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their gas stocks have shrunk with little backup. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and nothing else - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. It's a changing landscape." Retailers observe a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the authorities states there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of household consumers and spokespersons say cylinders are being reallocated to households as geopolitical strain from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Approximately 60% of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being allocated for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for home fuel 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 lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the description reads. India brings in up to 90% of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to problems in worldwide shipments. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective gap 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 on the water 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 real vulnerability is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to extract a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through varied suppliers. Processed petroleum stocks remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative claims price gouging. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold at a premium." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next gas canister.