LPG shortage pushes up firewood demand and prices in Hyderabad

The shortage of LPG for non-domestic use has led to a rise in demand and prices of firewood in Hyderabad. Restaurants, bakeries and caterers are increasingly turning to firewood as an alternative fuel to keep their kitchens running.

Hyderabad: With the shortage of LPG, the demand for firewood and its price has slightly increased in the city.

There are roughly 250 fire wood depots in the city where Imli (tamarind), Babool (Acacia), Neem and ‘Gairi’ (all non-teak varieties) are sold for fuel purpose. Restaurants, bakeries, small scale industries and caterers buy firewood on regular basis from the firewood depots.

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“In present circumstances due to short supply of LPG for non-domestic purposes the demand for firewood has gone up. There is a price hike of Rs. 2 per kg,” said Mohd Younus, a firewood depot owner at Chaderghat.

“We are charging Rs. 1 per kg more to regular customers. The price hike is inevitable as the suppliers are demanding a higher price from us,” said Mohd Akbar, a firewood dealer at Pattigadda, Secunderabad. The current price is Rs. 10 per kilogram.

Due to the shortage of the LPG supply and a necessity to run the kitchen uninterrupted, big hotels, industries and caterers have contacted the main dealers of firewood and paid them money in advance.

The firewood to the city is supplied from forest areas of Nalgonda, Adilabad, Mahabubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Warangal, and even Kurnool. A truck carries a load of 15 tonnes of logs.