West Asia crisis: Govt explores ways to boost induction heater production

Govt discusses ramping up induction heater production as LPG supply concerns rise amid West Asia tensions, triggering surge in demand for electric cooking alternatives

In an interministerial meeting held on Friday, the Centre discussed ways to boost the production of induction heaters and utensils amid surging demand triggered by the West Asia crisis, according to two senior officials aware of the matter.

 

The meeting, chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, was attended by senior officials including the Ministry of Power secretary, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) secretary and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary. DGFT and DPIIT are part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

 

“We discussed how we can speed up and increase the production of induction heaters and vessels that cook on induction heaters,” one of the officials said, adding that demand for these products has risen sharply and production needs to be expanded accordingly.

 

Induction cooktop sales have surged across the country as households turn to electric cooking alternatives amid concerns over liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) availability. Online marketplaces and appliance retailers have reported an unprecedented spike in orders, with some platforms seeing sales jump multi-fold within days as consumers rushed to secure induction stoves.

 

Manufacturers have also stepped up production to meet the sudden spike in demand, while retailers in several cities reported popular models going out of stock as households stocked up on electric cooking appliances in anticipation of possible gas supply disruptions.

 

Concerns over cooking gas availability have intensified in recent weeks as geopolitical tensions in West Asia threaten global energy supply chains. India is one of the world’s largest consumers of LPG, and household use has risen sharply over the past decade as millions of families shifted to cleaner cooking fuels.

 

Data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell, under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, show domestic LPG consumption increased from about 21 million tonnes (mt) in financial year 2016-17 (FY17) to nearly 30 mt in 2024-25 (FY25), driven by rising household adoption and welfare schemes that expanded access to LPG connections.

 

Despite higher domestic consumption, India remains heavily dependent on imports to meet demand. PPAC estimates indicate that around 55-60 per cent of the country’s LPG requirement is sourced from abroad, mainly from producers in West Asia and the United States. This makes domestic supplies sensitive to global disruptions.