The South Sudanese government last week launched the export of Gum Arabic, also known as Acacia Gum, for the first time to the international market.
Sudan has historically been the world’s main producer of Gum Arabic but after South Sudanese independence in 2011, most of the country’s gum-producing areas became South Sudanese territory. South Sudan has relied on Sudan for export of the cash crop.
South Sudan, which relies almost exclusively on oil revenues, has large quantities of the Gum Arabic trees in the central, western, and northern parts of the country.
The Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr. James Wani Igga announced last Thursday that a national company is set to export about 22 tons of Gum Arabic.
He said the launch is historic and will reduce the overreliance on oil revenue for the national budget.
“Let the world know that indeed South Sudan is the original mother of this Gum Arabic because we have more forest than anywhere. Furthermore, let’s render the needed motivation to our producers and producing farmers and since the trees are almost everywhere in the country the economic cluster must conduct training workshops to educate our ignorant farmers and people," Igga said.
"If we put our energy in the production of Gum Arabic, we can easily forget about the oil. Oil is what makes us lazy. Let us encourage farmers to plant Gum Arabic in organized plantations. The government intervention in terms of support in addition to finance is possible,” he added.
Gum Arabic farmers have always complained of a lack of government support in the production, marketing, and sale of Gum Arabic.
In October, farmers in the northern parts of Upper Nile said the presence of large swarms of locusts in the areas of Akon, Giel, and Jalhak threaten production of the cash crop.
The Farmers' Union in the defunct Fashoda State in August appealing to agricultural companies and organizations to invest and provide aid to Gum Arabic farmers in the state.
According to a 2018 study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said Gum Arabic has the power to drive development in the African nations that produce it.
UNCTAD's report projected the potential for revenue growth in countries that can transform the product into processed export goods.