Strong Russian citrus demand helped Pakistan's kinnow mandarin exports push past the US$100 million mark during the 2010/11 season, website Thenews.com.pk reported.

The story reported Russian citrus imports rose 29% year-on-year during the first four months of 2011 with total volumes of 1.5 million metric tons (MT).

Harvest Tradings CEO Ahmad Jawad, told website that the season's export values were a new record for Pakistan, while there was still more room for growth in Russia.

"Our focus should be on the Russian market with regard to citrus. Russia is ready to absorb as much as we are able to export in the coming season," Jawad was quoted as saying.

"We must strive for confidence-building with Russian importers."

The story reported Pakistan has 185,000 hectares of citrus fruits planted with annul production of 2.1 million MT, making it the 13th biggest citrus exporter in the world.

Photo: Toboc

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