Gum Arabic .. The Present and Confronting the Challenges
Report by :Haffiya Elyas
Gum arabic is one of Sudan’s primary export commodities linking the country to international markets in Europe, Asia, and North America. Gum arabic accounts for an estimated 15% of Sudan’s exports.
Sudan is the world’s largest producer of gum arabic.
Experts explained that the mass export of gum Arabic is harmful to small farmers and demanded a change of approach to take into account the traditional production of gum Arabic and use new methods to increase production by conducting scientific research on the Hashab trees.
Earlier this year, Sudan received a €10 million grant from the EU to restructure its gum Arabic sector and in 2020, the Netherlands agreed to support and facilitate the establishment of gum processing factories.
The Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization (SSMO) in collaboration with Gum Arabic Council organized a workshop under the title (Gum Arabic .. The Present and Confronting the Challenges).
The workshop was attended by several experts in the areas of Gum Arabic production, plantation, processing, exportation and other related issues.
The SSMO General Manager, Dr. Awad Ibrahim El-haj called for concerted efforts to deal with the issue by all concerned authorities in the country, emphasizing the importance of Gum Arabic to the Sudanese economy a matter that requires doubling the efforts to utilize it to the maximum.
Renowned expert in Gum Arabic plantation and belts, Prof. Hassan Osman Abed Al-Nour urged all the concerned authorities to pay more attention to the Gum Arabic Belt which crosses 12 countries including most of Sudan’s states.
He called for reactivating and reinforcement of the legislations , besides implementation of the Gum Arabic development strategies endorsed in this regard.
Chairman of the Gum Arabic Council, Eng. Mustafa El-Sayed called on the Gum Arabic-related institutions to prioritize Gum Arabic production in their policies and strategies.
Five working papers were presented in the workshop dealing with the threats and challenges facing Gum Arabic production, besides the means of confronting it.
The workshop will come out with several recommendations to be raised to the concerned authorities aiming at improving the production and processing of Gum Arabic.
Sudan is the world’s main producer and exporter of gum arabic, according to the United Nations‘s food and agricultural organisation. It is used in many products from soft drinks to cosmetics and accounts for nearly 15 percent of Sudan’s income.
But farmers who plant and harvest the product say they are worried that it is about to change , according to Al Jazeera’s reports.
It is worth noting that,
together with the Government of Sudan, the European Union (EU) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD), are launching a project that will increase the production and improve the quality of the Sudanese Gum Arabic, by concentrating on improving the producers’ income and livelihoods. It will aim at enhancing economic opportunities for youth and women in Sudan, and at strengthening the resilience of the gum Arabic belt. The project will be implemented by the Forests National Corporation in close collaboration and follow up from the Ministry of Finance and the AFD.
Sudan is the world’s largest producer and exporter of raw gum Arabic, with an annual production corresponding to 70% of the world’s raw exports, and one million poor households currently depend on revenue from its production. Because they have a significant role in its value chain, Gum Arabic provides economic opportunities that can lift women out of poverty and reinforce their role in their households and communities. Furthermore, the gum Arabic value chain contributes to environmental integrity and supports biodiversity management as well as ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation, as the product is traditionally produced in sustainably-managed agroforestry systems in Sudan.
This project is based on a pilot project that AFD funded in 2013. The FNC was already the implementing partner at the time, and brought significant and sustainable results, due to the structuring of producers into associations.
The collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the FNC will therefore be reiterated, and replicated in three other States thanks to this new EU financing. This will allow to consolidate the achievements of North Kordofan and innovate with a new component which aims to increase the resilience of the Gum Belt.
According to Ambassador Robert van den Dool, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Sudan: “the EU is honoured to work with the Agence Française de Développement, the Sudanese Ministry of Finance, the Forests National Corporation and the Farmers Association to contribute collectively to poverty reduction and environment conservation through the strengthening of the gum Arabic value chain.
The European diplomat adds that the new project will improve the agricultural practices and the quality of the Sudanese exported gum. This will consecutively generate recovery and revival to the Sudanese agricultural sector, create more jobs for youth and bring much needed hard currency to the Sudanese economy.”