Seasonally adjusted trade figures for March from the Central Statistics Office show that exports fell to €6,346m, a 7% drop on the February figure.
Imports fell 4% to €3,841m, giving a trade surplus of €2,505m. This compares with a surplus of €2,830m in February.
Preliminary figures for April show that exports recovered to €6,960m, however, while imports were also up slightly to €3,980m, giving a surplus of €2,980m.
For the first three months of the year, exports are down 22% on the same period in 2002 to €19,689m, with exports of chemicals and computer equipment both down by over 20%. Exports to Britain fell 46%.
Imports, at €11,862m, are also 23% lower in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, with imports of electrical machinery and parts down 67%.
