Duty exemptions granted to importers last year had a total value of 81 billion Br, the Ministry of Revenues announced. As part of the country's initiative to draw investment, the government has been offering duty-free import privileges to importers involved in several sectors of the economy, including the hospitality industry. Using franco-valuta, importers of basic goods such as sugar, edible oil, rice, and wheat, were also granted the privileges last year with the target of easing the cost of living in Ethiopia. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Finance centralised the provision of incentives like duty exemptions and is now solely in charge of the approval process.