West Asia and disruptions to supplies in the Strait of Hormuz have triggered an LPG crisis in India. India has historically relied on Gulf nations for 90% of its LPG supply.
Representational Image (Source Internet)
New Delhi: The raging war in West Asia and disruptions in the flow of supplies through the Strait of Hormuz have caused shortfall in the import of gas by India which has historically relied on Gulf nations for 90% of its LPG supply.
The Government insists that the stocks of cooking gas are adequate at the moment.
At the same time, a latest report by S&P Commodities at Sea (CAS) has said India's LPG imports for the seven-day period from March 13 to March 19 dropped to 265,000 tonnes.
As of March 5, this figure stood at 322,000 tonnes. Supplies arriving from West Asia declined to a mere 89,000 tonnes during the week the lowest volume recorded since January 2026. Following the decline in LPG supplies from West Asia, India is now turning to other nations.
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The United States is emerging as a big source for India's LPG imports. While LPG imports from the U.S. stood at zero last week, they surged to 176,000 tonnes this week. According to the S&P Commodities report, Indian oil marketing companies are projected to import 2.2 million tonnes of LPG from the U.S. in 2026. Loadings of U.S. LPG bound for India have been on a steady upward trajectory. Officials from the Ministry of Petroleum have confirmed that several cargoes of U.S. LPG have already arrived at Indian ports.
India's annual LPG consumption stands at approximately 31.3 million metric tonnes. This translates to a daily requirement of roughly 85,750 metric tonnes of gas. The recent shipment of 176,000 tonnes from the U.S. is sufficient to keep Indian kitchen stoves running for only about two days. Even if Indian oil marketing companies import a total of 2.2 million tonnes of LPG from the U.S. throughout 2026, this volume would fulfill the country's kitchen gas requirements for a mere 25 days.
