Electric cookers fly off the shelves amid gas crisis

By 8am, when Jesmin Alam’s maid arrives at her home in Uttara’s Sector-3 to prepare the day’s meals, the gas burner often lies useless.

The piped gas supply remains too weak or absent for much of the day. The homemaker has therefore turned to electric appliances to keep her family fed.

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As the shortage dragged on, Jesmin spent Tk 7,500 on an infrared cooker and bought a rice cooker -- appliances she had little reason to rely on before the gas crisis.

Her experience is being repeated in homes across parts of Dhaka, where the persistent daytime shortage has made cooking increasingly difficult. For families accustomed to piped gas, the disruption has meant finding alternatives and spending more to prepare daily meals.

The crisis began on July 22 after disruptions involving the country’s floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) reduced the supply of liquefied natural gas to the national grid by about 450 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), or nearly 17 percent.

The resulting shortfall disrupted gas distribution in parts of Dhaka, leaving many households without adequate pressure during the day. The situation has improved somewhat this week, with supplies returning close to normal in several areas.

Weeks of disruption have nevertheless boosted the market for electric cooking appliances.

Industry players estimate the annual market for electric cookers at less than Tk 200 crore. Demand for infrared and rice cookers, in particular, has surged.

Murshid Muneem, chief marketing officer of RFL, said demand for infrared cookers had more than doubled year-on-year, while rice cooker sales had risen by about 200-300 percent.

“People are starting to switch from gas to electric cookers,” Muneem said.

Infrared models are particularly popular because they can be used with existing cookware. Induction cookers, by contrast, require specially made pots and pans, so demand for them has risen more slowly, he said.

RFL has increased its production capacity by about 100 percent from last year, but demand has grown faster, creating a significant supply gap, Muneem said.

The gas shortage has also affected production at the company’s manufacturing facility at Danga Industrial Park in Ghorashal.

The government is prioritising gas supplies to fertiliser factories, leaving industrial manufacturers with limited supplies, Muneem claimed.

RFL is not the only player in the market. Walton and Kiam also manufacture electric cookers locally, while many smaller companies rely on imports.

Electric cookers from Walton, Vision, Vigo, Kiam, Gazi, Miyako and Philips are widely available, while Nova and Prestige offer alternatives.

Infrared cookers typically cost Tk 3,500 to Tk 6,000, with premium models priced higher.

Md Abdullah-Al-Zunaid, chief business officer of Walton Home Appliances, said demand for its electric cookers had risen by up to 50 percent compared with normal periods, amid the gas shortage and rising cylinder prices.

“Demand is clearly on the rise. Consumers are looking for alternatives, and electric cookers are proving to be a reliable solution,” he said.

Walton offers 12 to 15 induction and infrared cooker models, priced between Tk 3,790 and Tk 5,790, Abdullah said.

The surge, however, is not uniform across the market.

Matiar Rahman Haider, managing director of Kiam Metal Industries, said the gas crisis had had little effect on the company’s electric cooker sales.

“Our sales are more or less the same as before,” Haider said.

Electrical appliances account for only a small part of Kiam’s business. Its main products include pressure cookers, frying pans, casseroles, aluminium products and hotpots.

“That is where we have a much bigger market,” he said.

With limited exposure to electric appliances, Kiam has so far seen no significant change in demand, Haider added.