The value of Irish exports dropped again in April, preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office show.
Seasonally adjusted exports stood at €6.8 billion in April, down €45 million or 1 per cent on the previous month.
However, imports saw a much sharper decline, falling €483 million or 11 per cent to just under €4 billion.
As a result, the country’s trade surplus rose 18 per cent to €2.87 billion in April.
On an annual basis, April’s export numbers were 5 per cent or €367 million lower than the same month last year.
The main drivers behind the decrease was a €372 million or 18 per cent drop in the exports of medical and pharmaceutical products and a €138 million or 9 per cent fall in the export of organic chemicals.
A breakdown of the figures shows the Europea Union accounted for €3.7 billion or 53 per cent of total exports in April, while the US was the main non-EU destination accounting for 24 per cent of 1.7 billion of total exports.
The value of imports rose marginally by €14 million to €4.2 billion on an annual basis, driven in the main by greater imports of other transport equipment, including aircraft, which increased by €105 million or 172 per cent.
The EU accounted for 61 per cent of the value of imports in April, with 29 per cent coming from Great Britain. The US at 13 per cent and China at 6 per cent were the main non-EU sources of imports.
