Top Cooking Oil Buyer India Slashes Imports as War Hits Demand

India, the world’s largest buyer of vegetable oils, is slashing imports as the war in Iran drives up prices and sparks fuel shortages that are choking demand across the country’s vast food-service industry.

The month-long conflict in the Middle East has upended global energy supply, causing a fuel crunch that’s being felt across Asian economies. In India, shortages of cooking gas LPG are rippling through kitchens, as eateries from Delhi to Mumbai and Bangalore scale back operations or shift to kerosene burners or wood-fired stoves.