- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:22 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The war in West Asia has been going on for over 22 days, triggering gas and oil shortages across the world. As the war intensifies, industrial production is also being affected, prompting concerns over a possible rise in prices of various items.
Production of everything from tiles to plastic items and even undergarments is being affected. Rising import costs have led to a rise in the price of edible oil.
Medicines: Many of the raw materials used in pharmaceutical manufacturing are related to petrochemicals. Hence, the availability of medicines could also be hampered in the future in war continues.
Tiles: Approximately 560 units of the 600 ceramic factories in Gujarat's Morbi have shut down operations as they face a shortage of gas, including propane and natural gas, for industrial use.
Gas accounts for 40 per cent of the raw material used in ceramic tile production. Philip, director of Morbi-based tile manufacturing company Letoja, said that 4,00,000 workers are employed in Morbi's 600 tile units, and due to the shutdown, they are gradually returning to their homes. The shutdown has led to a 25 per cent increase in tile prices, and this trend will continue.
Toys, bottles, PVC: The production of plastic items such as toys, PVC pipes, bottles, buckets, and drums has also begun to be affected. Plastic granules are made up of polypropylene derived from petroleum products. Due to disruptions in the supply of petroleum products and rising prices, the price of plastic granules has increased by up to 30 per cent in the last 20 days.
According to the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association, the price of plastic items will begin to rise in April. Currently, they have old stocks of raw materials, so the prices have remained unchanged.
Textiles and undergarments: Undergarment manufacturers in Tirupur echoed similar concerns that polyester yarn and elastic used in undergarments are becoming more costly with each passing day due to the war in the Middle East.
The price of elastic has already risen, and polyester yarn prices have risen by 35 per cent in the past 20 days. Polyester yarn, which used to sell for Rs 104 per kilogram, has now reached Rs 137 per kilogram.
Edible oils: India imports 60 per cent of its edible oil needs. Sunflower, soybean, and mustard oils have already become more expensive by Rs 10-20 per litre. Palm oil is also showing a strengthening trend. Due to these factors, the prices of prepared food items have risen by 20 per cent in the last 22 days.