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Event hall bookings and related fees hiked by 40%

25 Apr 2022

 
  • Pre-hike orders/reservations to be upped by 20% 
  • Caterers note shortage of butter and exorbitant prices of essentials  
  • Soap prices hiked by 100%
  BY Dinitha Rathnayake  The All-Ceylon Banquet Hall and Catering Association said that it has decided to increase event hall and other related fees by 40%, while for orders and reservations that were already received previously, fees are to be increased by 20%.  Speaking to The Morning, Association Chairman Athula Kaluarachchi said that the decision was taken owing to the price hikes of essential goods. “We know that this is not a good time to increase our prices but we are now at a breakeven point where we are unable to sustain our service due to the increase in prices. We provide a service and there is a competition in this business. It is not that we could increase by a fixed rate. Reservations have different rates according to the facilities and services provided,” he added.  Kaluarachchi also said that as an Association, they informed the members to increase the rates accordingly, adding further that customers who had made reservations six months or one year ago will also have to face a 20% increase in their rate.  “One kilo of cashew nuts is around Rs. 5,000 now, whereas previously it was around Rs. 1,200. The price of chicken has also increased. A kilo of chicken was around Rs. 390 in the past, and now it is around Rs. 960. The prices of all dessert ingredients, including gelatin, chocolate powder, dairy products, and oil have also increased,” according to Kaluarachchi who claimed however that butter is not available in the market. Meanwhile, soap importers have taken steps to increase the price of soap by more than 100%. As such, the price of a popular brand of soap in Sri Lanka has increased from Rs. 70 to Rs. 115 and from Rs. 75 to Rs. 145 and baby soap from Rs. 74 to Rs. 175.


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