New Year ‘Kevili’ table costs 7% more in 2025 than in 2024: Verité Research

Price hike attributed to increase in coconut, coconut oil prices

The cost of preparing a traditional kevili or sweetmeats  table for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year has increased by 7% in 2025  compared to 2024 and is now more than twice as high as it was in 2019,  according to a report by Verité Research.  

The analysis found a 7% rise in the cost of ingredients  between March 2024 and March 2025, driven primarily by significant  increases in the prices of coconuts and coconut oil, which rose by 80%  and 40% respectively. Most other ingredients either remained stable or  decreased in price.  

In 2024, the cost of ingredients had increased by 2.2 times  compared to 2019, and by 2025, this figure has risen to 2.4 times the  cost in 2019.  

A kevili table typically features a selection of  traditional Sri Lankan sweet treats that symbolise prosperity and  happiness. While contents vary across households, common items include  milk rice, kokis, bananas, aluwa, kavum, dodol, mung kavum and butter  cake.  

The analysis used quantities based on recipes from the  popular YouTube channel “Ape Amma,” estimating portions for a household  of 4–5 people. Only the main ingredients were considered in the costing;  utility costs (electricity/gas) and spices were excluded. Price data was  sourced directly from the Department of Census and Statistics,  specifically from its Open Market Weekly Average Retail Prices in the  Colombo District for the following periods: April Week 1 of 2019 and  2023, and March Week 3 of 2024 and 2025.