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The Gambia cashew nuts tree has an array of by-products from the parts of its trees that can be processed. The cashew wood is used as firewood or timber, whereas the cashew apple gets used to make sweets, juices and alcoholic beverages. Gambians will tell you that eating too many sesame apple fruits has the same effect as drinking wine. The cashew nut, which is the star of this article, is eaten as food, processed into butter or used as a treatment for some ailments.

The cashew nut crop was first seen in Africa in the15th century AD through the Portuguese explorers in West Africa. It then spread to the Eastern and Southern Eastern coasts of the continent in the 16th century.

The Gambian cashew tree bears a yellow or red fruit in which there is a greenish-grey shell that encases a raw cashew nut. This fruit is called the apple fruit and is either sweet or bitter depending on whether it is picked ripe. The cashew nut (seed) on the other hand is 2-2.5 cm long, C shaped and hangs from the bottom of the apple. Within its outside shell, is the kernel or the nut. When raw, the cashew kernel is soft and white, but upon roasting, it changes colour. The tropical cashew tree is evergreen and can grow to a height of 14m. 

98% of Gambia’s raw cashew gets exported. As of 2011, its export was valued at 2.09M dollars. The Gambia has 558,000 ha of arable land out of which an estimate of 20,000 ha – 23,000 ha is under cashew cultivation. The cashew plantations in the country are relatively young; hence the next decade is expected to see an increase in product potential to an estimation of double the product quantity. There has been a continuing increase in cashew production in the country with that of 2007-2010 calculated to 400%. Production is concentrated along the West Coast areas and the North bank in the Birkama, Kanifing and Kerewan areas.

The medium Gambian nuts on average are larger in comparison to those of other producing countries. It has good quality and easy to process.

The Gambian cashew plant thrives and produces high yields during a well-defined four-month dry season. The plant requires deep well-drained sandy loam without a hardpan and a PH of not more than 8.0. Also, temperatures between 20°c to 30°c and 1000-2000 mm annual rain. 

The tree takes three years since planting to begin producing, and an additional five years before harvesting can begin. The harvest season begins in February and ends in June

 The harvesting is done by farmers who supply the produce to local processors or for the export market. Harvesting is done when the fruit turns pink or the fruit pink. It gets accomplished by picking from the ground then twisting the nuts off the apples. The nuts are dried before being marketed for processing. 

In terms of cashew processing, very little gets done in The Gambia. The processing process involves getting the nuts shelled, roasted, peeled, graded and packed. The nuts are then stored in dry, cool(10°c), well ventilated and dark conditions Local consumption cashew nuts are roasted and salted. The country exports fresh or dried cashew nuts in the shell. The cashew kernels are packed in cartons or boxes as well as poly sacks that range between 10-25 kg. Dry, cold and ventilated containers are a necessity during transportation.  Its markets include India, Senegal, Vietnam, Netherlands and Denmark. 

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