Exporter chief’s plea to Government

Dublin: The president of the Irish Exporters’ Association has called on the Taoiseach and key members of Cabinet to hold face-to-face meetings with key exporters to devise a joint plan which will ensure that the export sector of the Irish economy can continue to grow and compete internationally.

At an awards ceremony to announce the Exporter of the Year, Mark Fitzgerald reminded Brian Cowen, who was guest of honour and presented the Export Industry Awards, that the IEA just one year ago recommended a targeted drive to boost exports by €40 billion over a three year period.

“At that time, we stressed that although this was an ambitious target, it was by no means overly ambitious as the target could be achieved by an export growth of 10% per annum,” said Mr Fitzgerald.