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.
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. |
