In 2020, 13.4% of Irish exports ($26.3 billion) were [Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds](https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/nitrogen-heterocyclic-compounds/reporter/irl)
Compare with all our food exports which come to about $14 billion in total
I don’t even know wtf Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds are
Visualisation: [https://oec.world/en/visualize/tree\_map/hs92/export/irl/all/show/2020/](https://oec.world/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/export/irl/all/show/2020/)
4 comments
Pharmaceuticals including anticancer, anti-HIV, antimalaria, anti-tubercular, anti-microbial and diabetes
Yep, we’re good at making chemicals. It’s honestly better to say “useful” (or “versatile”) “industrial precursors”. Certain people hear words like heterocyclic or similar and tend to assume some sort of vague foul play. See also the common misconception of GMO and “genetic engineering”. If you don’t understand it, it can sound sort of dodgy. In most cases it absolutely isn’t, and certainly not within the EU regulatory framework.
Consider the guy who listed all the chemicals/compounds in a banana:
https://jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/ingredients-of-an-all-natural-banana/
https://jameskennedymonash.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/ingredients-of-a-banana-poster-4.jpeg
>I don’t even know wtf Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds are
Basically most medicines
15 years ago I worked for a maintenance company subbed in by a pharma, haven’t a clue what they were producing but the production line we maintained was producing €80m a week in product.