LPG Crisis Hits Gujarat Kitchens

The global impact of the escalating tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran is beginning to ripple into local economies, with restaurants and street food vendors across Gujarat facing sudden difficulties due to a shortage of commercial Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders.

 According to the Gujarat Hotel and Restaurant Association, the disruption in commercial cylinder supply has created an urgent challenge for eateries that rely on cylinders instead of piped gas connections. Small restaurants, food carts, caterers, and snack factories are among the worst affected, particularly in cities like Ahmedabad and Surat, where nearly 10,000 small food businesses operate using commercial cylinders. Industry leaders warn that if the supply does not resume within the next couple of days, many eateries may be forced to reduce operations, change menus to cook items requiring less gas, or even temporarily shut down.

Catering services, especially those handling wedding events, are also under pressure as they struggle to fulfill large food orders without adequate gas supply. Association president Narendra Somani stated that around 20–30% of restaurants in the state depend on cylinders, making them highly vulnerable to the shortage, while large restaurants connected to gas pipelines may remain relatively unaffected.

Distributors have indicated that commercial cylinder production has been disrupted due to global supply uncertainties, forcing companies to prioritize domestic household cylinders. Officials, however, have reassured the public that 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinders remain available and there is no need for panic buying. Still, restaurant operators fear that if the situation continues, it could trigger a crisis similar to the COVID-19 pandemic period, potentially affecting thousands of jobs in Gujarat’s food service industry.