Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai faces Gulf crisis for 2nd time in 4 decades

The 110-year-old confectioner is among the few food businesses that have faced a similar crisis before—over three decades ago, during the Gulf War in 1990-91

Mumbai: While restaurants and eateries across Mumbai struggle to cope with the commercial LPG shortage caused by the conflict in West Asia, for one of Mumbai’s most iconic confectioners, it’s a bit of a deja vu.

Mumbai, India, Mar 17, 2026 – Ghashitaram Mithaiwala's factory outlet in the Dharavi area in Mumbai, India, Mar 17, 2026. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

The 110-year-old Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai is among the few food businesses that have faced a similar crisis before—over three decades ago, during the Gulf War in 1990-91. That was when founder Ghasitaramdas Bajaj’s descendants decided to partly move to induction cooking systems.

While that pivot helped the popular sweets shop ride through the current gas crisis, its electric cooktops cannot handle all the cooking. Several processes require gas, Kunal V Bajaj, director, Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai, told the Hindustan Times.

The commercial LPG shortage has disrupted Mumbai’s hospitality sector, with at least 20% of restaurants and hotels already shutting down or partially suspending operations, according to reports. Despite not completely relying on LPG for years, Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai’s business is down 30%, and staff have been given the option to take leave.

“With business hitting a new low, there isn’t much work at the production unit. Therefore, I have asked my staff to proceed on leave if they wish to before normalcy is restored in business,” said Bajaj.

Demand has also fallen by 30% due to the crisis, dealing the company a double whammy. “We have four branches across Mumbai. Our bulk business comes from flight kitchens, catering, hotels, restaurants, events, etc., and these sectors have also been impacted, reducing the need for our products,” said Bajaj.

“Coupled with this, during Ramzan, people prefer fruits over sweets. Additionally, those flying overseas carry our products. Now, flight restrictions are also reducing overall demand,” he added.

In all, Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai offers about 100 products, ranging from regular sweets and sugar-free options to canned products and namkeens. However, not all of them are made every day.

The canned sweets are not a problem at the moment, as their shelf life is a few months. The challenge is managing the sweets available over the counter. Before the gas crisis hit, the company’s Mahim East factory prepared around 2,000 kg of fares daily, which has now dipped to around 1,400–1,500 kg.

Although production levels have decreased, cooking time has increased. “Induction cooktops require more time to heat up and reach the necessary temperature,” said Bajaj. “Earlier, only 30% of our product line was prepared using induction. For the last 10 days, we have been preparing 90% [of our items] using electric systems.”