Mysore/Mysuru: With the supply of commercial LPG cylinders coming to a complete halt, hoteliers across the city have been forced to fall back on traditional firewood stoves and hearths once considered outdated but now witnessing unprecedented demand.

The disruption began in the aftermath of the Middle East conflict, which has severely affected India’s LPG imports.

Initially, hotels managed with their existing stock, stretching supplies for a few days. Later, many resorted to buying cylinders at inflated prices from the black market. But even those sources have now dried up, leaving hoteliers with little choice but to switch to firewood stoves.

Stove-maker Banu Prakash, who has been manufacturing and selling firewood stoves for years at Nazarbad, says demand has surged dramatically. Apart from producing the stoves locally, he also sources them from a factory in Chandapura, Bengaluru.

According to him, a truckload of stoves now sells out within hours. “There’s no question of waiting until tomorrow. If you don’t buy when the load arrives, you go home empty-handed,” he said.

Rs. 24,000 to Rs. 45,000

The stoves are available in different capacities and priced accordingly, around Rs. 24,000 for units that can cook 25 kg of food, Rs. 32,000 for those handling 50 kg and Rs. 45,000 for stoves capable of preparing up to 75 kg.

Prices have risen sharply, with each unit costing Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 more than before the Middle East conflict. Despite the steep increase, hoteliers say they have no option but to buy them.

Although diplomatic efforts led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have ensured that some oil and LPG shipments continue to reach India through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies remain insufficient to meet domestic and commercial demands.

With no immediate signs of the conflict easing, many hoteliers say traditional stoves are now their only reliable option.

Waste turns into fuel

The sudden shift has also turned everyday waste into a valuable resource. Coconut shells, husks, paper, leftover timber and plywood scraps from furniture workshops, once discarded as useless, are now being used as fuel for firewood stoves.

Residents who once treated these materials as trash are beginning to see their value. Despite rising costs, many households are also buying firewood stoves and using such waste to cook.

Complaints about smoke, eye irritation and soot-blackened walls have given way to necessity, as both homes and hotels turn to these stoves to keep their kitchens running.

Sawmills step in

Firewood is readily available as Mysuru has hundreds of sawmills where timber is cut for doors, frames and other construction materials. In the process, tree bark and leftover wood pieces are generated in large quantities.

Furniture workshops also produce cut pieces that cannot be used in finished products. These scraps, once ignored, are now finding a new purpose as stove fuel. Until recently, sawmill waste had few takers. Now, demand has surged and prices have climbed steeply. Even firewood depots say the cost of firewood now “burns a hole in the pocket.”

Cooking on firewood costs a fraction of LPG

Using a firewood stove is proving far more economical than relying on LPG cylinders. Hoteliers say the firewood required for cooking, the equivalent of one LPG cylinder, costs only about Rs. 200.

With the current price of a domestic LPG cylinder at Rs. 930, cooking the same quantity of food with firewood results in a saving of nearly Rs. 700 each time.

“I had long advised people to switch to firewood stoves, but no one paid attention. Now, circumstances have forced them to adopt them,” said Banu Prakash, proprietor of Surya Firewood Stoves.