Abu Dhabi/Dubai: The prices of buying new gas cylinders across the emirates have risen sharply recently, with the highest increase in Abu Dhabi.
Residents in Dubai and Sharjah faced increases of up to 18 per cent in the price of cooking gas cylinders since June.
Vinu Bashir, a salesman at a gas distribution company in Dubai, said: "The price of our large cylinders, which are bought by restaurants and hotels, have increased by 13 per cent."
Adnoc Distribution, fuel retailing subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) raised the price of new gas cylinders by 50 to 65 per cent recently.
The new prices came into effect on June 1. It will not affect existing customers as the price of refilling cylinders remains the same and has not increased for a long time.
A spokesperson of Adnoc Distribution told Gulf News it has not increased the price of cooking gas to help ease the burden on consumers. "But the price of steel, the raw material of the cylinders, has increased worldwide and that has compelled us to hike the deposit amount on new cylinders," said the spokesperson.
Gas suppliers said a small cylinder, which is popular with families, now costs 65 per cent more, having jumped from Dh120 to Dh200. The price to refill the small cylinder remains at Dh20.
The price of a larger (22kg) new cylinder, which is popular with large families, increased by 60 per cent, from Dh150 to Dh240.
The largest available cylinder (45kg) which is mostly used in hotels and restaurants, had a 50 percent price rise, from Dh260 to Dh390.
A sales executive of a gas agency said empty cylinders from Adnoc used to be cheaper than those in the northern emirates.
Expensive times
Dubai consumers said they have become more vigilant with the number of times they use their cooking gas cylinders to deal with higher prices.
Hasina, a Pakistani housewife, said she and her husband cut down on the number of times they prepare tea. "Earlier, I used to make tea at least three times between 6am and 8am. Now I make it once in a large quantity and keep it in the flask. The same goes for milk. This way I make sure that I save on cooking gas. I make use of the medium cylinder that used to last me a little over a month, but now the same size lasts two months."
Shailaja, and Indian housewife, shares the cylinder with another family.
"We both use the same cooking gas cylinder. We used to buy the cylinders for Dh250 but now the same size costs us Dh390. With the price rise we have opted to buy a medium size cylinder which comes for Dh240. Moreover, earlier both families used to cook rice separately, but now we do it all together. This way we cut our spending on cooking gas," she said.
Have you considered using electric heaters due to ther rising price of gas? What is the least you have paid for gas and when was it? Do you use any special cooking techniques to reduce the amount of gas consumed? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com
