India Faces Cooking Gas Crisis as Iran War Sparks Induction Stove Rush
Electric induction cooktops are flying off the shelves in India as households and businesses rush to purchase the appliances amid fears of a severe cooking gas shortage triggered by the ongoing war in the Middle East. The conflict has disrupted shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz, raising costs and tightening supplies of oil and gas from the region.
Government and Industry Response to Supply Disruptions
The Indian government, overseeing the world's second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), has invoked emergency powers to boost household supplies. However, availability is tightening for commercial users such as canteens, hostels, and restaurants. This has prompted widespread concern over rising LPG prices and potential unavailability in the near term, driving consumers to seek electric cooking alternatives as a precautionary measure.
Several induction stove models are already sold out on major e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto. Offline retail chains report that fresh supplies are still days away, exacerbating the shortage. Omkar Kandharkar, a Mumbai-based restaurateur, shared his experience of price surges, noting that a cooking range previously priced at Rs 9,000 (£73) was now selling for Rs 23,000 (£187). He told broadcaster WION that he had considered switching to commercial induction stoves after the war caused crude oil and LPG prices to spike.
Surge in Demand and Production Adjustments
Sales data reveals a dramatic increase in demand. Induction stove sales on Amazon India have jumped nearly 30-fold, while rice cookers and electric pressure cookers have seen a fourfold rise, according to a company spokesperson. Kitchen appliance manufacturer TTK Prestige reported that demand for induction stoves has surged far beyond supply, with a threefold increase in orders.
In response, TTK Prestige has ramped up production capacity to 100%, up from around 70% before the war began, and increased staffing by approximately 15%. The company also plans to raise induction stove prices in the June quarter to offset higher costs. Induction stoves accounted for about a tenth of TTK's Rs 25 billion (£207 million) standalone revenue in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Broader Impacts and Strategic Shifts
Google Trends data shows that search interest for induction stoves hit a record high on 12 March. Some restaurant chains, including Wow Momo and California Burrito, are exploring induction stoves as a contingency plan. To ensure continued supplies amid persistent disruptions, TTK Prestige will switch from sea shipments to airlifting components from China and Southeast Asia, absorbing the higher costs.
India's oil ministry has established a panel to review requests for LPG supply to restaurants and other industries, following appeals from two industry bodies. Indian companies have raised LPG prices for the first time in about a year, as the war makes imports—which account for two-thirds of annual consumption—increasingly costly. The situation worsened after Qatar, India's largest supplier of LNG, halted production last week following Iranian strikes on Gulf countries in retaliation for the US-Israeli war.
