LPG Bottlers Urge Consumers Not to Hoard Cooking Gas as Temporary Shortage Emerges

KATHMANDU; The Nepal LP Gas Industry Association (NLPGIA) has urged consumers not to stockpile cooking gas, stating that panic buying has contributed to a temporary shortage in the domestic market.

According to the association, imports and supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) remain normal, but the sudden return of spare cylinders for refilling has strained the distribution system.

NLPGIA President Diwan Chand said Nepal continues to import around 100 LPG bullets from India each day, the same volume as during normal periods. “The current supply is no different from regular days,” Chand said, dismissing concerns over any reduction in imports.

Gas entrepreneurs attributed the shortage to consumers rushing to refill and store extra cylinders. NLPGIA member Bimal Kalakheti said the delay in resuming the distribution of fully filled cylinders has also contributed to the current situation.

Nepal has 59 LPG bottling industries and around 15 million cylinders in circulation. Of these, approximately five million cylinders are currently held at gas depots.

Following concerns over a possible disruption in fuel supplies amid the US-Iran conflict, the government had introduced a policy on March 11 requiring the distribution of only half-filled LPG cylinders. The bottlers, however, opposed the measure, arguing that it doubled operational, transportation, and processing costs while leaving significant gas stocks idle.

Responding to repeated requests from LPG entrepreneurs, the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on July 15 allowed bottling plants to resume the sale of fully filled LPG cylinders. Despite the policy change, the industry says the transition has temporarily disrupted cylinder circulation, leading to the current shortage.

The NLPGIA has appealed to consumers to purchase only the cylinders they need, assuring the public that LPG imports remain stable and that the shortage is expected to ease as cylinder circulation returns to normal.