DUBLIN: The value of Ireland’s crucial export sector was around a fifth higher in June than the same period last year.
Compared to May, however, exports were relatively flat.
Preliminary figures for the month showed that seasonally adjusted exports remained relatively unchanged at €9.1bn compared to May.
Seasonally adjusted imports dropped by €213m, or 4pc, to €5bn, leading to an increase in the trade surplus to €4.1bn in the month. The value of exports in June was €9.6bn – up 19pc or €1.57bn when compared to the same period last year.
The main driver behind the June increase included a 31pc increase in medical and pharmaceutical products to €2.5bn.
Exports of machinery and transport equipment rose by €352m, or 36pc, to €1.33bn.
As usual, the European Union accounted for the bulk of exports in June, at €5.6bn, of which 13pc went to Britain.
The US was the main non-EU destination, accounting for a fifth of total exports.
Meanwhile, separate data also from the Central Statistics Office showed that the quantity of freight transported on Irish roads last year increased by 3.4pc to 112.5m tonnes and the distance travelled by Irish-registered goods vehicles rose by 3.6pc to 1.3bn kilometres.
Between 2013 and 2014, the amount of freight activity by Irish registered goods vehicles increased by 6.9pc to 9.8bn tonne-kilometres.
And the average number of registered goods vehicles in 2014 increased to an estimated 83,700 vehicles, which was the first annual increase since 2007 when the number stood at 97,800.
The quantity of goods carried by businesses owned by transport companies increased by 7.1pc to 65.2m tonnes.
