LPG crisis forces restaurants to switch to firewood: What's happening
With liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies disrupted by the West Asia conflict, hotels and eateries across India are switching to firewood stoves.
This sudden move has sent firewood prices soaring: Kerala saw a jump of ₹500 per ton, while in Bengaluru, jungle wood now costs anywhere from ₹6,000 to ₹15,000 per ton.
Temples stockpiling wood, black market for cylinders booming
More restaurants using wood means higher demand and steeper prices.
Temples in Karnataka have begun stockpiling wooden logs amid concerns over the LPG shortage.
Sawmills can't keep up with requests, and in the black market, an LPG cylinder is going for a wild ₹5,000.
Some suppliers are holding off on price hikes to help out hotels, but cooking on wood takes longer and isn't ideal for busy kitchens.
Restaurants shutting down
Switching fuels hasn't been easy: one restaurant reported sales dropping by 70% after moving to firewood, and many eateries have shrunk their menus.
In Kochi alone, more than 100 hotels have shut down in recent days amid the crisis;
Around 40 food stalls in Gomtinagar's Chatori Gali were reported shut on a recent Tuesday night.