The value of the Republic's non-EU export trade fell by 3 per cent in the first 11 months of last year, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The figures show that Irish companies exported goods worth €30.9 billion outside the EU in the year to November, down from €32 billion in the previous year, in line with the continued weakness of the international economy.
Over the same period, non-EU import trade also faltered, declining by 7 per cent to €17.5 billion.
Detailed figures show that the largest proportion of non-EU exports last year were devoted to the medical, pharmaceutical and organic chemical sectors, which accounted for 46 per cent of the total.
Exports in this area saw annual growth of about 2 per cent in the months ending in November.
Within the sector, exports of organic chemicals declined by 9 per cent to €9 billion, but the fall was more than cancelled out by a 65 per cent surge in exports of medical and pharmaceutical goods.
This so-called "viagra effect" was worth €3.7 billion between January and November last year.
Less buoyant trade was recorded in electrical machinery, where exports outside the EU fell by 29 per cent to €2.9 billion over the year.
The machinery and transport equipment sector, which includes computer equipment, saw non-EU exports fall by 10 per cent to €2.9 billion.
This decline was reflected in the import numbers, which show that inward trade of computer equipment from non-EU states fell by 15 per cent to €4.1 billion between 2001 and 2002.
Imports of telecommunications and sound equipment fell by 41 per cent to €860 million.
The US remains the Republic's most significant non-EU trading partner, accepting about half of all exports and supplying about 43 per cent of imports.
US exports in the 11 months to the end of November were worth €15.4 billion, up 4 per cent on 2001.
Imports from the US declined slightly to €7.5 billion.
Seasonally adjusted monthly figures, a traditionally volatile indicator, show that the value of non-EU exports fell by 5 per cent to €2.6 billion between October and November, while non-EU imports rose by 0.8 per cent to €1.4 billion over the month.
