Electronic goods traders in the city who stocked up for a bumper air-conditioner and cooler season are now fielding an unexpected flood of inquiries, for induction cooktops. The artificial LPG crisis has upended market calculations, with consumers rushing to alternatives and traders scrambling to keep shelves stocked.
Ishan, a trader in Naka, said the shift in demand has been staggering. “We used to sell 50 inductions in a year; now we have a demand for 50 pieces in a single day. 2,000-3,000 watt commercial inductions have vanished from the market. Customers aren’t being picky anymore. If they can’t get a 1,600-watt model, they’ll grab a 1,200-watt one instantly. Prices have shot up by 25% in just three days.”
Gurpreet Sethi, a trader near Gole Market, said companies have not officially raised the MRP, but the effective price has gone up. “They’ve stopped giving the ₹200 and ₹300 discounts we used to pass on to customers. Stock that used to arrive in hours is now taking days.”
Pawan Manocha, a prominent trader from Naka Hindola and senior general secretary of the Lucknow Vyapar Mandal, said commercial inductions are out of reach for most buyers. “The domestic inductions are still available. The demand has increased by at least 30-40%. We would appeal the government to provide commercial cylinders as soon as possible so that the market does not get affected.”
The surge is not limited to electric cooktops. Furnace (bhatti) maker Safal Prajapati was forced to shut his shop just to clear a backlog of 50 orders. “The orders were so overwhelming that I couldn’t cope, so I closed the shop. Now, I’m getting calls from influential people like ministers and MLAs. People are ready to pay double or give extra convenience fees. Even the labour used for making lassi clay-cups is now hammering iron for stoves, and we still can’t keep up. I won’t touch a fresh piece of iron until the 50 pending orders are cleared,” he said.
Social media platforms including Instagram, YouTube and X have added fuel to the demand, with influencers pushing tutorial videos, cook-off challenges and reviews comparing induction cooktops, biogas kits and solar-powered cooking solutions to conventional LPG setups. Several e-commerce websites are either not delivering these products or are taking longer than usual to fulfil orders.
