Pakistan is predicting a 'bumper' orange harvest with exports topping the 200,000 metric tons (MT) seen in previous years, website Dailytimes.com.pk reported.

Widespread and heavy monsoons in orange-growing areas such as Sargodha have yielded positive results with the kinno crop unaffected.

Pakistan's Fruit Export Association chairman Abdul Wahid, said farmers were also expecting a good harvest of the citrus fruit because of increasingly modern growing techniques, the story reported.

“For the upcoming season, there are encouraging reports of (sic) good crop of oranges ranging around 2.5 million metric tons and there stand strong prospects the country’s exports will surpass previous years' 200,000 MT figure,” he was quoted as saying.

The region's orange season starts in mid-October and lasts until mid-April with exports starting by mid-December.

Russia and Ukraine account for almost half of Pakistan’s total exports while Indonesia and Malaysia have recently emerged as strong buyers of local oranges.

Wahid told the website this year Indonesia has agreed to do away with 25% import duty on Pakistani oranges in return for the Pakistani government's downward revision on import duty on palm oil.

He added that the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) was also working on improving fruit quality through enforcement of grading standards and pre-shipment inspection.

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