KARACHI: Pakistan has exported a record 370,000 metric tons of kinnow, the citrus hybrid, this year, beating its annual target by 120,000 metric tons.

Kinnow exports were worth more than $222 million, Waheed Ahmed, patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA), said.

Pakistan’s annual export season for kinnow starts on Dec. 1, with targets set in accordance with international demand.

“The current season of kinnow has witnessed the highest export volume ever,” Ahmed said.

Professor Dr. Aman Ullah Malik, director of the Institute of Horticultural Sciences at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, told Arab News: “Pakistan produces 2.4 million metric tons of citrus fruits in which kinnow holds a 70 to 80 percent share of 1.7 to 1.9 million metric tons. Punjab produces more than 60 percent of citrus and 98 percent of the total kinnow production, mainly from Sargodha.”

Pakistani kinnow is known for its taste and aroma, and demand has steadily increased in its two main importers, Indonesia and Russia.

“Exporters were faced with the issue of unrealistic high valuation of Pakistani kinnow in the Russian market. However, the association persuaded Russian authorities to reduce the valuation,” Ahmed said.

The PFVA also waged a successful campaign that led to Indonesia abandoning a quota system on Pakistani kinnow, he said.

Kinnow continues to face issues of high valuation from the Russian authorities, leading to higher consumer costs.

“The actual value of Pakistani kinnow is about $6-$7 per 10 kilogrammes, while Russian authorities assess it at $9.50 per 10 kilogrammes. After February, however, the valuation was revised upward to $10.50 per 10 kilogrammes, making it even more difficult to compete,” he said.

However, Pakistan’s bumper crop, coupled with low production in Morocco, a major competitor, helped boost exports to the Russian market.

Pakistan hopes to lift its export of fruit and vegetables to China with the help of China-Pakistan economic corridor, with local exporters looking to improve kinnow quality to take full advantage of the huge Chinese market.

“If coordinated efforts are made to improve the quality of kinnow, in the next three years Pakistan will be ready to export 50,000 to 80,000 metric tons to China,” said Ahmed.

Exporters say that reaching the set target for kinnow exports next year may be difficult if Turkey and Morocco — Pakistan’s biggest competitors in terms of quality and price — have good crops.

Meanwhile, climate change and lack of research facilities in the country are taking a toll on kinnow production. Pakistan’s kinnow trees have already completed their life cycle and are more vulnerable to disease. New orchards are not being planted, leading to fears that the export industry could sustain huge losses in the near future.