Mandarin orange and apple exporters can expect a better export season this year, as the packaging industry has agreed to supply the required packing boxes. According to the Association of Wood-based Industries (AWBI), 400,000 boxes from different saw millers are expected to meet the requirement of exporters.
Mandarin oranges and apples are the two top export cash crops from Bhutan. Last year, Bhutan exported Nu 418.23 million worth of mandarin oranges to India and Bangladesh. Of the total, almost 90 percent was exported to Bangladesh and the rest to India.
According to the Department of Agricultural and Marketing Co-operatives (DAMC), the highest offered rate for mandarin oranges recorded for last season was Nu 57.68 per kilogram and the lowest was Nu 18.52 per kilogram.
At the same time, Nu 21.05M worth of apples were exported to India and other countries in 2022.
In earlier years, with the shortage of packing boxes from local sources, the exporters faced problems importing wooden boxes from India.
[ Nu 100 = €1.10 ]
Source: kuenselonline.com