Ethiopia earned 137.7 million dollars from the manufacturing sector in the first half of the current fiscal year, which is 104pc higher than figures for the previous year, according to the data obtained from the Ministry of Industry (MoI).

Exporting leather and leather products, agro processing, textile and garment, and chemical and pharmaceutical products earned the income. The manufacturing sector export has generated 255 million dollars during the 2011/12 fiscal year. This revenue reported exceeded figures for the previous year by 22.8pc.

On the other hand, the government's ambitious plan for the manufacturing sector received heavy blows in the 2011/12 fiscal year when the government achieved only 49.4pc of its plan to export textile. Leather and leather products, and pharmaceuticals and chemicals achieved only 54.5pc and 58.7 pc, respectively.

The manufacturing sector is expected to earn 471 million dollars in revenue by the end of this fiscal year.