The catering industry is staring at a severe crisis with the steep hike in the price of commercial cooking gas cylinders, which has struck the sector amid the festival and wedding season, stakeholders have complained even as the All Kerala Caterers Association (AKCA) hit the streets in protest on Friday .

The association staged protests in all 14 districts demanding the rollback of the hike of ₹993 per cylinder, which came into effect on May 1. Inaugurating the protest march and blockade held in front of the zonal office of Indian Oil Corporation at Panampilly Nagar in Kochi, AKCA State president A.J. Zachariah demanded that the Centre restore the regulatory authority that was dissolved by the Narendra Modi-led government and end the practice of oil companies deciding fuel price hikes on their own. District president V.K. Varghese chaired the meet.

Addressing the meet, Badusha Kadalundi, patron of the organisation, highlighted the plight of the catering units which stare at huge losses due to the sudden increase in the LPG price.

“Kerala is currently in the middle of the festival and wedding season, during which catering firms take up work after fixing rates and signing contracts months in advance. The sudden hike of ₹993 in the price of commercial cooking gas cylinders had caused daily losses of around ₹2,000 for small-scale catering units and nearly ₹5,000 for medium-scale establishments,” he said.

P.V. Mohandas, vice president, AKCA, Ernakulam zone, said caterers were forced to stage protests as they had been finding it difficult to survive. “The latest price hike has no match in recent times. The sector had already been struggling to manage the LPG shortage triggered by the West Asia crisis. Only those who had the facility to use alternatives like firewood could survive the current crisis. Not many can afford to manage the situation,” he said and added that there were around 1,000 catering units in Ernakulam district alone.

Former AKCA State president Prince George, general secretary Robin K. Paul, district secretary Freddy Almeida, and district vice-president Ayub also addressed the protest meet.