New Delhi: India has secured alternative crude oil supplies and increased domestic LPG production to cushion the impact of disruptions in West Asia, the government said on Wednesday (March 11), even as it urged consumers not to panic-book cooking gas cylinders.Officials said crude procurement has been diversified to routes outside the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring that current import volumes exceed what would normally have arrived through the waterway during this period.At the first on- record briefing by the oil ministry since the conflict broke out 12 days ago, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said India’s crude supply remains secure despite the conflict triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran that has affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key corridor for global energy shipments.“India’s crude supply remains secure. Through diversified procurement, the volumes we have secured today exceed what would normally have arrived through the Strait of Hormuz during this period,” Sharma said.India consumes about 5.5 million barrels of crude oil a day. Earlier, around 55% of those imports came through the Strait of Hormuz from suppliers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. According to Sharma, about 70% of current imports are now arriving through routes outside the strait after companies shifted sourcing to alternative suppliers.All domestic refineries are currently operating at full capacity, officials said.While crude supplies have been stabilised through diversification, shipments of LPG and LNG have been more severely affected by the disruption of shipping through the strait.India imports about 60% of its LPG requirement, and nearly 90% of those imports typically transit the Strait of Hormuz.To manage the shortfall, the government has asked refineries to maximise LPG output by cutting petrochemical feedstock streams and diverting production toward cooking gas. Sharma said these adjustments have increased domestic LPG output by about 25% since March 8.“All the additional domestic LPG production is being directed towards household consumers,” she said.The government said household kitchens are being prioritised for supplies. Industrial and commercial consumption has been curtailed so that LPG can be protected for more than 33 crore domestic consumers, who account for roughly 86% of total LPG demand.For non-domestic LPG, priority will be given to essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions. A three-member committee comprising executive directors of Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum has been constituted to review allocations for restaurants, hotels and other commercial users.The committee is consulting state authorities and industry bodies to prepare a plan to distribute the available LPG among commercial users in a fair and transparent manner.Officials acknowledged reports of panic booking and long queues at LPG dealerships in some areas but attributed the situation largely to misinformation about shortages.“Feedback suggests that some panic booking and hoarding behaviour has been triggered by misinformation. We have enough stocks. There is no need for the customer to rush and book cylinders,” Sharma said, adding that the pre-war delivery cycle of about two and a half days remains unchanged.India’s natural gas supplies have also been affected. Of the country’s total consumption of about 189 million standard cubic metres per day (mscmd), around 97.5 mscmd is produced domestically while the rest is imported. About 47.4 mmscmd of imports have been disrupted because of the Strait of Hormuz shipping bottleneck.Sharma said gas companies are procuring supplies through alternative routes and suppliers. Two LNG cargoes sourced from new suppliers are currently on their way to India to help offset the disruption.To manage demand, the government has also taken regulatory measures. Cooking gas prices were raised for the first time in 11 months and the minimum interval between subsidised LPG refills was extended from 21 to 25 days.Officials claimed that the government has absorbed a large share of the international price increase. The domestic LPG cylinder price in Delhi has risen by Rs 60 to Rs 913, while beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana pay Rs 513 per cylinder.