Iran war hits India’s kitchen:Restaurant street vendors hike food prices due to costlier LPG

The Iran war has hit Indian kitchens. Street vendors have started to raise food prices as commercial gas cylinders become expensive. Some have even wrapped-up their carts and left. According to a LocalCircles survey, food has become more expensive nationwide due to the commercial gas price hike issue. Due to increased costs, 57% restaurants and 54% street vendors have raised their product prices within a week. Price of 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder: As of March 18, 2026, the price for a standard 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder in major Indian metro cities ranges from approximately ₹1,835 to ₹2,043. Prices were revised on March 7, 2026, seeing an increase of up to ₹144 across the country due to global energy market fluctuations. Common man’s budget impacted by increase in commercial cylinder prices The shortage of commercial LPG cylinders and rising prices have also affected the common man’s budget. More than 50% of respondentd in the LocalCircles survey said that restaurants and street vendors have increased food prices in a week. 57% people confirmed increase in restaurant prices. 54% say street vendors have increased prices by 10-25%. The survey gathered opinions from 38,000 consumers across 309 districts of the country. The burden of compensating for high fuel costs is being directly passed on to customers. Government intervention is needed immediately to reduce food prices. Other findings of survey: Supply diversification: To reduce pressure on LPG supply, hotels, restaurants and other commercial consumers in urban areas are being encouraged to adopt PNG. States have been asked to expedite the approval process for laying city gas distribution pipelines. Digital system strengthening has led to online LPG booking increasing to nearly 94%. LPG production from refineries has increased by 38%. The supply disruptions caused by the Iran war has fuelled apprehensions regarding rise in inflation in India. Already, the recent government data states that India’s retail inflation had risen for 4th consecutive month to 3.21% in February 2026. While, Wholesale inflation (WPI) had increased to 12-month high of 2.13% in the same month. With rising supply disruptions, India’s inflation may rise even more.