India dispatched its first consignment of 1,500 crates of oranges to Dubai, a statement from the country's commerce ministry said on Friday.

The oranges originate from Nagpur, 938 kilometers from Mumbai, which is also the second political capital of the country's western state of Maharashtra.

The fruit was produced in the central and western part of India and matures between February and March for harvesting every year.

In Maharashtra state alone, 4 million hectares of land are under cultivation for oranges in Nagpur district as a cluster, the statement said.

In 2018, international trade for orange was $10.18 billion with India producing 8,781 metric tons of orange, including mandarin and clementine.