‘The Situation is Dire’: Hostilities on Iran Tightens India's Cooking-Gas Supplies.
The ripple effects of a conflict being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's kitchens.
As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the key maritime chokepoint, availability of cooking gas are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases shut down altogether.
Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the most severe shortage is in restaurant kitchens.
"Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply isn't available," says a official of the an industry group.
Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "Many restaurants have ceased operations - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are turning to traditional burners and electric cookers to keep food preparation going."
City-Specific Fallout
In Mumbai, media reports say up to a significant portion of eateries are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their fuel reserves have depleted with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a business operator in Bengaluru.
Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are skipping midday meals and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. It's a fluid situation."
Retailers note a spike in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are selling out quickly.
Government Stance
Yet, the authorities states there is no shortage.
India has more than a vast number of household consumers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as geopolitical strain from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets.
About a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now effectively closed by the war.
The relevant department says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, enhancing domestic production by about 25%. Business-grade fuel is being prioritised for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent".
"A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been triggered by misinformation. The normal delivery cycle for domestic LPG remains about under three days," says a government spokesperson.
Growing Panic
Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the description reads.
According to reports from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated.
India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its crude oil imports - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Gulf countries.
Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the shortfall could be partly compensated for 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 1-1.2 million barrels a day, reducing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day.
"A large quantity 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 one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through Hormuz.
Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports.
In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Fuel availability remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the critical issue to watch in the coming weeks."
What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the common threat of panic buying.
An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering.
"Suppliers are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold to the highest bidder."
For now, India's oil supplies may be cushioned by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
