New figures from the Central Statistics Office show there was a seasonally adjusted decrease in both exports and imports in April compared to March.
The trade surplus rose to €3.432 billion in April from €3.112 billion in March.
The CSO says that seasonally adjusted exports fell by 9% (€719m) in April, while imports dropped by 23% or €1.034 billion.
The export figure is the lowest seasonally adjusted exports figure since March 2010. The import figure is the lowest since November 2010.
The figures show that chemicals and related products accounted for 60% of the total exports of €7.037 billion in April. Exports of medical and pharmaceutical products fell by 21% while the value of exports of organic chemicals declined by 17% in the 12 months from April 2011 to April 2012.
The CSO says that the EU accounted for 59% of total exports in April, with Belgium and the UK accounting for 30% of the total exports. The US was the main destination for exports outside the EU and accounted for 17% of total exports during the month.
The UK was the main source of imports in April, accounting for 33% of total imports, followed by the US at 10%.
