To draw investors and generate employment, Sri Lanka will subsidize six apparel factories in and around former zones in the north. Three factories will be built on a 50-acre land owned by Sri Lanka’s Mahaweli Authority in Weli-Oya in the first phase. If it succeeds another three factories would be built there on a 50-acre land in Musali in Ammachchi Kulam.
The Cabinet Ministers have approved the proposal by Industry and Commerce Minister Rishard Bathiudeen to build six factories and lease them to investors. Minister claimed that investors were reluctant to build factories in Mannar and Mullativu, despite road and electricity being provided due to the remoteness of the areas. As a result, the state will build factories and give them on a long-term lease to investors to recover the cost.
In Musali and Weli-Oya, around 2,500 youngsters are available to work in the factories including 500 who had experience in the apparel trade. State-run Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) could build the factories for 372 million rupees, without Value Added Tax with 186 million rupees to be spent in 2015.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
