Business Daily After the cyclone: Can Sri Lanka’s economy recover?
Feb 10, 2026
Ahilan Kadharagama, economist at the University of Jaffna who analyzes reconstruction needs and fiscal constraints. Dilhan Fernando, CEO of Dilma tea, on damage to estates, communities and exports. They discuss the cyclone's toll on infrastructure and agriculture. They talk about disrupted schooling, rebuilding priorities, business resilience and how limited aid and IMF conditions shape recovery.
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Personal Loss In The Hill Country
- A tea plantation worker describes losing his entire family and home in the cyclone overnight.
- He says he has no protection and has lost his land, house and loved ones, highlighting personal devastation.
Cyclone Linked To Climate Change
- Dilhan Fernando links the storm's unusual path and ferocity to warming oceans and climate change.
- He notes Sri Lanka was unprepared for this new pattern of extreme weather.
Tea Industry's Export Vulnerability
- Tea processing plants suffered flood damage that ruined high-precision export equipment.
- Fernando says nearly 30 significant tea export businesses were affected, harming exports and jobs.