A sudden surge in demand for induction cooktops, triggered by India’s curbs on LPG supplies, has prompted kitchen appliance makers to ramp up production, testing supply chains for imported components.
Demand for induction cooktops spiked after the government imposed restrictions on booking LPG cylinders and increased their prices, pushing restaurants and households in urban areas to look for electric cooking alternatives.
At Stovekraft Ltd, the parent company of kitchen appliance brands Pigeon and Gilma, average sales of induction cooktops increased about four times over the past few days, with weekly demand about five-fold higher than in the same period last year, managing director Rajendra Gandhi told Mint.
“Induction cooktops are currently seeing the strongest demand, followed by cookware,” Gandhi said. Demand is largely from retail consumers through online channels, with some traction from restaurants and cloud kitchens, he said.
Wonderchef Home Appliances Pvt Ltd founder and CEO Ravi Saxena said the company’s monthly inventory of induction cooktops sold out within hours after demand suddenly spiked.
“Whatever we sell in a month has already been consumed in less than half a day,” Saxena said. Induction cooktops account for about 5% of Wonderchef’s sales, though the recent spike has pushed the category into sharper focus, according to Saxena.
“Sales volumes that typically take about two weeks to achieve are currently happening within a single day,” Subhadip Dutta Choudhury, chairman and CEO of Hawkins Cookers, told Mint.
Hawkins started selling induction cooktops and electric kettles in July last year. The segment currently contributes low-single digits to the company’s revenue, according to Choudhury.
Online demand
There’s also been a spike in demand for electric cooking appliances on .
“Over the last two days, sales of induction cooktops have increased 30X, while rice cookers and electric pressure cookers are seeing a 4X increase. Air fryers and multi-use kettles are also seeing a 2X increase in sales over a regular day,” an Amazon India spokesperson said.
At TTK Prestige, products such as electric cookers and electric kettles have seen a 20-30% increase in demand, while sales of induction-compatible cookware including non-stick cookers and pans have grown about 10% in recent days, the company said.
The sudden shift in consumer behaviour is an outcome of tightening LPG supply in India amid disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict. India imports about 60% of its LPG requirements, primarily from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait.
Induction cooktops are a low-penetration category in India, according to Anand Ramanathan, partner and consumer leader (South Asia) at Deloitte India. As a result, these products are not heavily stocked.
“Induction cookers are not a high-turnover category in India. Only a small percentage of households use them, partly due to historical cooking habits and also because many utensils in Indian kitchens are not flat-bottom and therefore not induction-compatible,” Ramanathan said.
are moving to expand production of induction cooktops as orders surge. Stovekraft manufactures about 200,000 induction cooktops each month at its Harohalli facility in Karnataka, which it plans to increase to 300,000.
“We have initiated steps to ramp up production and strengthen supply to meet the increase in demand,” Gandhi said.
Hawkins’ Choudhury said the company is trying to triple its production rate, although it remains cautious about expanding capacity too aggressively if the demand increase proves temporary. Executives said that while the current rush has accelerated sales, companies remain mindful that demand could stabilize once LPG supplies normalize.
Inadequate buffer
Deloitte India’s Ramanathan said limited inventory across the industry has contributed to the current tightness.
“It’s not a category that is heavily stocked. Retailers typically carry about 90 days of inventory because the purchase frequency is very low. Since demand has suddenly picked up, the market doesn’t have a large buffer of stock. That’s contributing to the supply tightness we’re seeing right now,” he said. “Some of the pressure is also coming from the trade itself stocking up because it expects demand to increase.”
Hawkins’ Choudhury noted that similar spikes in demand often occur during periods of and tend to settle once the immediate pressure eases.
Executives said supply chains may struggle to adjust quickly if demand remains elevated. This is because induction cooktops rely on a range of electronic components and specialized materials that move through complex global supply networks. Choudhury said Hawkins depends on certain imported electronics, particularly control boards.
“These components come from all over the world and have long supply chains,” he said, adding that the company has sufficient inventory but may face constraints if the surge continues.
The two most critical components of an induction cooktop are the printed circuit board (PCB), which controls power flow and temperature regulation, and the copper induction coil that generates the electromagnetic field used for cooking. While coils and metal parts are often manufactured locally, PCBs and control modules are frequently sourced from China and other Asian manufacturing hubs.
“Many of the components used in induction stoves come from China, so any disruption there can slow down the ability to ramp up production,” Ramanathan said.
Tighter availability
Wonderchef’s Saxena said if companies need additional supplies of PCBs and glass elements beyond existing orders, procurement could take weeks.
“Supply chains are limited and if there is a sudden rush, then that supply chain breaks,” Saxena said, noting that additional components could take one to two months to arrive.
Stovekraft also flagged the possibility of tighter component availability. Gandhi said electronic and glass components could face pressure, although the company has adequate inventory.
Logistics disruptions could further complicate supply responses.
“Shipping is a sector that is very prone to disruptions due to capacity issues. In fact, it had only just started returning to pre-pandemic levels when the latest shock hit,” according to Ramanathan.
The executives said the immediate priority is to manage production and supplier coordination to meet demand while avoiding deeper bottlenecks in component sourcing.