Statement by the Tánaiste on latest CSO trade figures

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, TD, has noted the ongoing challenges confronting exporting Irish companies, as preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for April 2014 show that seasonally adjusted merchandise exports decreased by 1% from March 2014.

The main cause of the decline was the decrease of 18% in the exports of medical and pharmaceutical products and 9% in exports of organic chemicals.

Compared to the same period last year, merchandise exports were 5% lower in April 2014 than in April 2013.

Commenting on the figures the Tánaiste said:

 “These figures show the challenges facing companies exporting to international markets from Ireland, in particular the continuing effects of the pharmaceutical patent cliff.  My Department will continue to work to ensure that the best possible supports are available to exporting companies as they look to meet these challenges and grow their business overseas”.

Seasonally adjusted merchandise exports for the year to date, covering the first four months of 2014, show a decrease of 1.2% over the same period in 2013 (from €28.5 billion to €28.2 billion).
 
The figures also show that Ireland’s seasonally adjusted trade surplus rose by 18% in April. This was driven by a decrease of 11% in imports on the previous month. 

ENDS

Press Office

13 June 2014