PERAMBALUR: The high pricing of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders is forcing Perambalur residents to switch back to cooking with firewood. But instead of traditional firewood cooking, the residents are using modern wood-burning stoves, thanks to an entrepreneur from Viswakudi village in Veppanthattai block.
The stoves, designed and manufactured by 57-year-old S Rahmatullah, are in high demand in the district. Three years ago, Rahmatullah recognised the need for an alternative and established a workshop on Attur Road. With limited formal education but an interest in electronics, Rahmatullah leveraged his experience as an electrician and TV mechanic to make the modern wood stoves as a replacement to gas stoves.
He develops wood-burning stoves equipped with blower technology, ensuring high efficiency, quick cooking, and minimal fuel consumption. The stove, ignited by air from the blower, caters not only to homes but also finds application in hotels in Perambalur and other districts. The price ranges from Rs 5,300 to Rs 2 lakh depending on the specifications.
"I initially made this stove for personal use and found it more efficient than traditional firewood stoves. It requires only 30 per cent of the wood used in conventional stoves. We sell three types of stoves to homes. If people buy firewood for around Rs 500, it will fuel the stove for 4-5 months," Rahmatullah told TNIE. "The firewood should be cut into small pieces before keeping it in the stove.
The stove with controlled combustion using a blower ensures efficient cooking without a spike in electricity bills. I sell 1-2 stoves per day to hotels and 2-3 stoves to homes. In the last two and a half years I have sold over 2,100 stoves," he added.
A Naseera Banu, a resident of Vadakkumadevi said, "There are four members in our house. We used to buy a gas cylinder once a month and the prices has been high for a few years. Unable to cope with this, we purchased the modern wood-burning stove two years ago. We have been cooking with it since. It has allowed us to cook faster, at a lower cost, and the taste is even better."