Nearly 30,000 businesses across Sri Lanka, including registered export manufacturing factories, have been affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development said.
Data compiled by the ministry up to December 16 show that 29,649 manufacturing and business establishments reported damage following the cyclone.
The information was gathered as part of a national effort to support rehabilitation and recovery among affected enterprises.
To provide immediate assistance, the ministry said priority and expedited loan facilities have already been approved for 9,628 manufacturing and export industries registered under its purview.
Several business loan schemes have been introduced, offering a loan subsidy of Rs. 200,000 at a concessional interest rate of 3%.
Fast-track loan facilities for export-oriented manufacturers have been rolled out through three state-owned banks and will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2025.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has agreed to extend the same concessional lending facilities through private banks starting in January 2026, the ministry said.
For the remaining 20,223 affected manufacturing and business establishments registered with the Ministry of Industries, assistance will be coordinated through relevant line ministries, which are expected to provide sector-specific support.
The districts reporting the highest number of affected factories and businesses include Puttalam, Gampaha, Colombo, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Badulla and Nuwara Eliya.
Based on disaster impact registrations compiled as of Dec. 16, damages were reported at 861 large-scale export manufacturing factories, 8,664 medium-scale enterprises, 12,300 small-scale businesses and 9,844 micro-scale businesses, the ministry said.
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