News Morung Express
Dimapur | May 7
With the rise in the price of LPG prices, one of the immediate effects would be the increase in expenses that will be borne by households and commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants and other restaurants.
Aloka Sumi, a housewife in Padumpukhri, said rising prices for LPG cooking gas as well as petrol would affect the national budget. Along with the cost of petrol which has risen considerably, the rise in the price of LPG will affect the daily household budget, she added.
According to Aloka, a single bottle of LPG lasts about two months in her household, as she uses induction hobs and other electric stoves to cook her family’s meals. Last month, a refill from the local gas agency cost him 968 rupees, and totaled with delivery charges, it came to around 1,000 rupees.
Interestingly, she also said that deliveries are very spaced out and infrequent, so she often buys refills through “middlemen”, paying around Rs 200-300 extra for the fast service. However, considering the price increase again, she said she should stop using the services of “middlemen” as the price of the agency itself has risen above Rs 1,000.
For Avika Zhimomi who runs a restaurant and catering business in Dimapur, there has been a general spiral in prices for meat, vegetables and other ingredients due to rising fuel prices. “As we try to survive the pandemic situation and recover from the impact, rising LPG prices, especially for commercial cylinders, are putting us under immense pressure,” he told the Morung. Express.
Similarly, Honteih Waillem, who manages the logistics for the two branches of The Garden, a popular restaurant in Dimapur, noted that the price of LPG cooking gas has increased significantly over the past two years. In 2020, the price of a single commercial LPG cylinder fluctuated between Rs 1100 and Rs 1200, but in 2021 it was increased to nearly Rs 2200, he said.
Coincidentally, Waillem informed that he bought refills for the two restaurant branches on Saturday and the cost of the commercial LPG cylinder was Rs 2,420, double the amount it was in 2020.
“It’s not a question of one or two cylinders, we use almost 17 to 18 cylinders per month and the rising prices are taking their toll,” Walliem pointed out.
“Rising prices are very inconvenient for us because we cannot increase food prices because of it, but on the other hand, we spend a lot more on cooking gas,” he added. .
In support of the same, Zhimomi also noted that the price hike is affecting all aspects of the business as management needs to make cost saving adjustments like reducing the items it serves. “Sometimes we also have to delay salaries in order to make adjustments, which all employers dread because it is very unfair to our employees,” he added.
In this regard, Zhimomi said the restaurant’s internal food delivery system was canceled as fuel costs became too high to sustain.
“We have also explored the use of electric cookers etc. but for food businesses this is not feasible as even the power supply is erratic and in places like Dimapur we cannot use fireplaces” , added Zhimomi.
Meanwhile, he was also told that the domestic LPG cylinder Walliem bought for his house on Saturday cost 1,010 rupees. It was Rs 960 last month.