The commerce ministry on Friday said the first consignment of Nagpur oranges was flagged off to Dubai from Navi Mumbai.

Mrig crop (monsoon blossom) of oranges, which matures in February March, has great potential for export, it said.

According to Maharashtra State Agriculture Department 40 lakh hectare land is under orange cultivation in Nagpur and major orange growing pockets are Warud, Katol, Saoner, Kalameshwar and Narkhed in Nagpur and Amravati districts.

The international trade in 2018 for orange was USD 10.18 billion.

India produced 8,781 thousand tonne of orange in 2018-19 (orange includes Mandarin, clementine).