Taiwan's export orders likely rose in April for the 26th straight month, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday, supported by the pandemic-led demand for technology products, although global economic woes pulled down the pace of export growth.

The median forecast from a poll of 15 economists expects export orders to rise 8.3% from a year ago. Forecasts for growth ranged from 3.8% to as high as 14.4%.

The island's export orders, a bellwether of global technology demand, rose 16.8% to $62.69 billion in March year-on-year, outperforming expectations and the highest figure for the month on record.

However, the government has predicted April orders will only grow between 1% and 3.8%, compared with the year-ago period, due to the Ukraine conflict and global supply bottlenecks.

Taiwan's export orders are a leading indicator of demand for hi-tech gadgets and Asian exports, and typically lead actual exports by two to three months.

The island's manufacturers, including the world's largest contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (2330.TW), are a key part of the global supply chain for technology giants including Apple Inc (AAPL.O).

The data for April will be released on Friday.