New Delhi: India is considering measures to encourage companies to ramp up production of induction cooktops and utensils such as electric cookers amid surging demand, with the Iran war disrupting cooking gas imports, said an official.
Towards this, a meeting was held on Friday chaired by commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and attended by senior officials including secretaries of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and power ministry, as well as the Director General of Foreign Trade.
The simmering conflict has severely affected the movement of ships carrying oil and gas through the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway. This has sparked concerns over cooking gas supplies, leading people to rush to buy induction cooktops and utensils used in such appliances. Sales of electric kettles and cookers have also soared, causing a shortage of such products at online stores and retail outlets across the country. “We discussed how we can speed up and increase the production of induction heaters and vessels that go on those heaters,” said an official, who attended the meeting.
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Live Events”The demand for these goods is increasing, and they are being sold as hot cakes. So, we are prepared and proactive,” the official said, adding the government’s effort is to plan ahead for the future.
Policymakers are also concerned about continued imports of fertiliser, crude oil and natural gas amid the disruptions to shipping routes.
In an effort to sustain supply chains in other sectors, the Centre Thursday exempted the import of critical petrochemical products from customs duty for three months till June 30. This gave a breather to sectors such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and textiles. Sectors dependent on petrochemical feedstock and intermediates such as plastics, packaging, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive components and other manufacturing segments will benefit from the duty exemption that would cost the exchequer ₹1,800 crore.
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Exports momentum
India’s exports sustained healthy momentum despite global headwinds and are expected to record growth in FY26, an official said Friday. “At the end of March 31, despite the war, we will be closing the year with positive growth,” the official said.
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