Commercial cooking gas consumption in the State is on a revival path, with the sector registering 44% growth between April and July this year compared to the slump of around 30% in sales during the same period in 2020.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum account for over 95% of commercial LPG sales in the State. They account for the sale of around 20,000 (19 kg) cylinders per day.
The growth in LPG business has been backed by a range of new products from the Indane brand of IOC, which includes Indane Chhotu (5-kg cylinders), Indane Xtra TeJ, and Indane Nanocut. They were launched to encouraging response from consumers, said IOC sources.
They added that there were around one crore LPG consumers in the State, with IOC accounting for 51 lakh consumers and the other oil companies serving the rest. Around 2.20 lakh cylinders for domestic use are supplied in the State daily, of which, IOC accounts for approximately 1.10 lakh cylinders. Domestic cylinders weigh 14.2 kg each.
COVID-19 curbs and work-from-home system have triggered a rise in demand for cooking gas in households in 2020. The growth continued into the initial months of the current financial year. April-July 2021 saw a growth of 4.5% in domestic gas demand compared to the pre-COVID days.
Indane Xtra TeJ and Indane Nanocut are normal LPG dozed with nano additives, which serve as catalysts. Xtra TeJ is developed by the research and development division of IOC and ensures a higher flame temperature of up to 80 degrees Celsius compared to normal LPG. It also reduces LPG consumption by 5% to 7% and cooking time by round 14%, IOC claimed. The products come in 19-kg, 47.5-kg and 425-kg cylinders.
IOC has a market share of 75% for its Chhotu cylinders in the State, and nearly 35,000 cylinders are being sold a month now.
