Introduction:
Due
to its favourable climate, rich soils and large areas of arable
land, a wide variety of food crops are grown in The
Gambia. However, due to inadequate storage and handling facilities
and limited added value and processing plants, large quantities
of produce are wasted each year. For example post harvest fish
losses are high, estimated at 20-30%. Traditional processing of
fish in The Gambia is an important means of making fish available
to consumers, especially those living in rural areas. The market
for cured / smoked fish is expanding, although inadequate market
information and low level of organisation among producers and
traders limit the efficiency of the trade.
With a growing urban population and a large tourism industry,
The Gambia currently imports large quantities of processed food
and drink products, which could be supplied using processed local
materials. Regional markets in neighbouring countries are also
a potential market and are already being supplied by a number
of food and drink processing companies based in The Gambia.
There are a number of firms already involved in giving added-value
to food and drinks namely: GAMBEGA (bottling plant), Gamwater,
King Kombo (distillery), ComAfrique (nuts), Lyncoln Solutions
(machinery), Pelican Seafood and others.
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Investment Opportunities:
Processing and packaging of out of season and exotic fruit and
vegetables for the Western European market.
• Freezing, canning and drying of fruit and vegetables for the
export market.
• Processing and packaging fruit and vegetables for the urban
population of The Gambia.
• Supply of fruit and vegetables for the hotel and restaurant
trade in The Gambia.
• Processing and packaging of high quality nuts and dried fruit
for the tourist and export markets.
• Processing and packaging of fruit juices for the domestic and
export markets.
• Production of soft drinks for the domestic and regional markets.
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