<p></p><p>The Gambia has been ranked as the world’s 15th largest exporter of Raw Cashew Nut (RCN) with a 0.1 percent market share in the global RCN market, a report reveals. According to The Gambia Cashew Sector development and Export Strategy 2014-2019 which was released to APA on Thursday the country’s position is due to constant export of RCN mainly to India.</p> <p>The report opines that the global growth rate of 9 percent (import) for RCN and 9 percent for cashew kernels offers an opportunity for The Gambia cashew sector to emerge and support the country’s export development. “According to comrade data, the total export quantifies exemplifies not only variation in the global market but also challenges within The Gambia in supplying international markets with supply volumes and consistency. </p><p>The import of RCN from neigbouring countries could also explain the variations, due to various political and economic contexts.” the document states. The report says, Gambian RCN exports although concentrated on India have also reached a much larger number of destination markets, such as the UAE, Vietnam, China, Denmark, Senegal, Singapore and the United States. </p><p>“The important difference between direct and mirror data indicates a clear need to enhance data collection for the cashew sector. </p><p>In either case, India remains the main destination market for Gambia RCN as it absorbs more than 95 percent of exports”, it adds. </p><p>The report was released as The Gambia launched what it called a seasoned approach which involved a value chain analysis and diagnoses of the sector, define strategic orientation and develop detailed plan of action with clear objectives to enhance production and productivity around cashew nuts. </p><p> </p><br><p></p>