Dublin-based software firm Macalla, has been judged Exporter of the Year in a scheme launched by Enterprise Ireland in the Netherlands.

Established in 1998, Macalla Software, which provides e-commerce products to the telecoms and financial sectors, was judged to have "excelled not only in total export revenues but also in strategy, choice of exporting channels, partners, commitment to the market and the way they launched their products and services on to the Dutch market".

A second new award for Dutch Partner of the Year, presented by Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs Mr Kitt at a function in Nijkerk, in the Netherlands last night went to a building supplies importer, Eurostone of Wijchen in the Netherlands, distributor for McKeon Limestone of Stradbally, Co Laois.

"We wanted to recognise that without the efforts of the Dutch partners a large portion of Irish-Dutch trade would not take place," the Minister told 140 guests representing leading names in industry and business, together with the new Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr Richard Townsend.

The awards initiative aims to strengthen existing links between Irish exporters and their Dutch partners. "Ireland and the Netherlands are doing more business today than ever before - in trade, investment and tourism," Mr Kitt said. "Two-way trade was worth just over £5 billion (€6.35 billion) last year and continues to grow steadily." The fastest growing area of Ireland's export trade - worth over £3.6 billion annually - is in IT, software, telecommunications and other high technology products and services.

The Netherlands is the second largest market in mainland Europe for Irish indigenous exports and the Dutch Central Statistics office (CSI) reported that imports into the Netherlands from Ireland grew by 120 per cent in 1996-2000. New technology sectors such as telecoms, computer software, e- commerce and international services accounted for more than 50 per cent of this growth.