KARACHI, Nov 25: Pakistan is set to export a record 100,000 tons of dates during 2002-03 after harvesting a bumper crop this year.

The initial production estimates show that Pakistan has produced more than 600,000 tons of dates this year.

Sindh has reported a bumper crop and all the dates processing factories in the province are booked till June 2003, says Director Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), M E Jalbani, here on Monday.

Pakistan exported 77,471 tons of dates worth $27.6 million during 2001-02 which was 3.1 per cent less than the previous year.

Jalbani said that export of dates was declined in 2001-02 due to fall in production and slow exports to neighbouring India, a major buyer of Pakistani dried dates, due to tensions on the borders.

He said that the dates processing factories are working round the clock to meet the demand. He hoped that the export of dates would touch a record of 100,000 tons this year as exporters have got sufficient orders.

Pakistan is ranked the second largest exporter of dates in the world, exporting dates to Canada, USA, Germany, UK, Denmark, Australia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, UAE, Japan, China, South Korea and North Korea.

Jalbani said that there has been a rise in the demand for dates in Europe, Far East, South Asia, Turkey and Russian Federation in the last two years and Pakistan will also get its due share in these markets.—APP