Irish exports continued their downward trend in June, falling by 11 per cent compared to the previous month.
Preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed exports decreased to €6.6 billion, following a 2 per cent decline in May.
However, imports are on the rise, growing by 5 per cent to €4.6 billion in June. This compares to a a drop of 8 per cent in May.
The new figures bring the seasonally adjusted trade surplus just under €2 billion for June, falling from May's figure of €3 billion.
Unadjusted figures for June showed that exports decreased by €421 million, or 5 per cent to €7.2 billion, while May increased by €744 million (12 per cent) to €7.1 billion.
Year-on-year, imports for June rose by 7 per cent to €4.49 billion, a similar increase to May (8 per cent).
In the period from January to May 2005, however, Irish exports rose by 2 per cent. Exports of organic chemical grew by 13 per cent to €7.6 billon, while medical and pharmaceutical products increased from €5.9 billion to €6.1 billion, a 2 per cent rise on the same period in 2004. However, telecommunications and sound equipment plunged 28 per cent from €625 million to €452 million, and computer equipment exports decreased by 4 per cent to €5.1 billion.
Ireland is importing more transport equipment; road vehicles saw a 20 per cent increase over the five months, rising to €1.6 billion, while other equipment, including aviation, soared 71 per cent to €1.1 billion
