Gum Arabic is used in the manufacture of soft drinks, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

The government of South Sudan has launched the sale and marketing of Gum Arabic to the international market.

Gum Arabic, also known as acacia gum, is a natural gum made of hardened fluids of various species of the acacia tree.

It is one of the major exports of neighboring Sudan.

In 2013, Khartoum exported 42 tons of gum Arabic to the United States, yielding 103 million US dollars.

South Sudan has now declared its first export of gum Arabic into the European market.

Vice President for Economic Cluster announced that a South Sudanese company is set to export 22 tons of Gum Arabic to Germany later this month.

Dr. James Wani Igga described the step as a milestone to the country.

“Let the world know that indeed South Sudan is the original mother of this Gum Arabic because we have more forest than anywhere,” said Dr. Wani Igga during the launch of the export in Juba Thursday.

“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.”

In South Sudan, large quantities of the gum Arabic trees are found in the central, western and northern parts of the country.

Gum Arabic trees are mostly found in the Upper Nile region, particularly Wadakona, Lul, and Maiwut areas.

But the chairperson of the Farmers Union in Northern Upper Nile says more than 8 million kilograms of cash crops including the Gum Arabic and Sesame were smuggled into Sudan in 2019.

He attributes this to the country’s reliance on Sudan for Gum Arabic exports.