The export prospects of citrus fruits have improved as production is up and exporters anticipate sending larger shipments to a widening foreign market.
Exporters expect kinnow alone to fetch $200m this season, up from about $175m last year, as they see a real boost in orders from Indonesia.
During a week-long visit to Indonesian cities last month, a 15-member delegation of the Sargodha Chamber of Commerce and Industry found that the demand for kinnow (Orange) is rising there. Kinnow exports to Indonesia surged last year after a mutual recognition agreement on sanitary and phyto sanitary measures for agricultural products became effective.
Besides this, the waiver of customs duty on purchase of Pakistani kinnow under the preferential trade agreement should continue to boost exports to Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the recent Russian move to ban imports of fruits and vegetables from the US and the EU is also fuelling optimism among kinnow (orange) exporters, who believe that the ban would eventually benefit fruit and vegetable exporters of Pakistan and other Asian nations.
They also expect larger orders from Malaysia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC nations, in addition to some European countries, because of improved processing, grading and packaging of citrus fruits.
