<p>Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa and cashew nut producer, has invited Indian firms to invest in its industrial sector and promote more bilateral trade. The West African nation’s Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan said trade between India and his country needed to improve substantially.</p> <p>The value of bilateral trade was $463 million in 2012-13. Duncan said the areas of investment focus include food processing, infrastructure development, education, skill development and human resource development.</p> <p>At an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he invited Indian companies to invest in Ivory Coast and add value to the primary goods they import. The government is keen to have more factories to process agricultural products to raise the value of Ivorian exports.</p> <p>Ivory Coast largely exports agricultural commodities. The country is the second largest exporter of cashew nuts in the world. India imports around 80 per cent cashew nuts from Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast's cashew production has grown from around 80,000 tonnes to half a million tonnes per year in about a decade, making the country a top global exporter.</p> <p>India's main exports are rice, pharmaceutical products, machinery, chemicals, rubber products, vehicles and plastics. Duncan pointed out that Ivory Coast was one of the fastest growing countries in Africa with an annual growth rate of 9 per cent. He said that the growth was further expected to pick up to 10 per cent in 2015.</p> <p>Once known for its political stability, a failed coup attempt in 2002 plunged Ivory Coast into a civil war. Indian Ambassador to Ivory Coast Dinesh Bhatia said promoting economic relations between the two nations was a priority for the government and a line of credit worth $160 million has been extended to that country.</p> <p> </p>