The All Ceylon Small and Medium Enterprises Association states that the price of clothing items will increase by 45-50 percent by the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.
National Organiser of the Association Niruksha Kumara said the price of apparels will increase exponentially owing to the depreciation of the rupee.
He said businessmen are compelled to increase prices.
Kumara claimed businessmen were of the stance that prices will be increased by 31 percent.
However, he noted that owing to the daily fluctuations of the dollar rate they reached a decision to increase prices between 45-50 percent.
He said consumers will have to spend large sums on clothes adding the public may not purchase clothes owing to the high prices.
