A chara, – An item on the pharmaceutical sector (Cantillon, Business, November 29th) is terminologically imprecise and statistically misleading. The 2011 export figure of €55 billion which it attributes to pharmaceuticals in fact refers to broader chemicals and related products, less than half of which constitutes pharmaceuticals.
The figure of €55 billion is presented as comprising one half of all exports when in fact the correct proportion is one third. The writer clearly has omitted services exports (which account for almost one half of total exports) from the calculations.
The writer of the piece expresses alarm at the 35 per cent fall in pharmaceuticals output, and a similar decline in exports of organic chemicals, in September. The corresponding figures for August show an increase of nine per cent for pharmaceuticals output and 28 per cent for exports of organic chemicals.
In fact, the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors are well-known for the short-term volatility of their output and export returns. In six of the 12 months up to September 2012, the combined exports of the chemicals and related products sector (including pharmaceuticals) rose compared with the corresponding month a year previously. In the other six months they fell. There was a marginal fall (of less than one per cent) over the entire period.– Is mise,
Dr PROINNSIAS BREATHNACH,
Department of Geography,
NUI Maynooth,
Co Kildare.