ECONOMYNEXT – More than 29,600 businesses under Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise categories have registered under the disaster-affected businesses in Sri Lanka, Industries Minister Sunil Handunnetti told the Parliament.
Revealing the businesses hit by the Ditwah-hit devastation, the Minister said as of Wednesday (17), the government has received information over a total of 29,649 industries hit by the disaster.
“I think there are more than 29,000 businesses. They have to fill a small form,” to get registered, the Minister told the parliament while summarising the disaster-hit industries and businesses.
“Out of these, we have already assessed the damages of over 10,000 industries.”
He said out of the registered 29,649 industries, 12,300 are micro enterprises, 9,844 are small enterprises, 6,644 are medium enterprises, and 861 are under large enterprises, while 685 out of the total are involved in exports.
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of Sri Lanka’s economy and account for a large share of employment and local supply chains, were among the hardest hit by the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Flooding and landslides destroyed workshops, retail outlets, warehouses, and small factories across several districts, wiping out inventories, machinery, and raw materials overnight.
Many SME operators, particularly in agriculture-linked processing, textiles, tourism services, and informal trade, lacked insurance or adequate savings, leaving them unable to resume operations quickly.
Disrupted transport networks, prolonged power outages, and delays in accessing credit further compounded losses, raising fears of permanent closures and job losses.
The impact on SMEs has heightened concerns about a slow and uneven economic recovery, especially in rural and semi-urban areas that depend heavily on small businesses for livelihoods.
The government has already released 1 billion rupees to disburse among the affected industries to prepare to resume the businesses, the Minister said.
“Each industry whether they are registered in the past or not will receive 200,000 rupees soon after they report their damages,” Handunnetti said.
He also said out of the total, 2,498 industries are involved in agriculture related industries and 634 in tourism.
The Industries Ministry has already decided on a 3 percent interest rate loan for registered SMEs under the government’s 2026 budget allocation of 80 billion rupees, the Minister said. (Colombo/December 18/2025)
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