The Government of Sudan, the European Union (EU), and the French Development Agency (AFD), launched a project aiming to increase production and improve the quality of Gum Arabic in Sudan through focusing on improving producers’ income and livelihoods.
Khartoum: AlTaghyeer
The new project aims to enhance economic opportunities for youth and women in Sudan, and to strengthen the resilience of the Gum Arabic strip.
The project will be implemented by the National Forest Foundation in close co-operation with and follow-up by the Ministry of Finance and the French Development Agency.
Sudan is the largest producer and exporter of raw Gum Arabic in the world, with an annual production equivalent to 70% of the world’s exports of raw Gum Arabic.
One million poor families currently depend on the proceeds of the country’s gum production.
Gum Arabic plays an important role in its value chain, as it provides economic opportunities that can lift many women out of poverty and enhance their role in supporting their families and communities.
The gum value chain also contributes to environmental integrity, supports biodiversity management as well as ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation, as the product is traditionally produced through Sudan’s sustainable farming systems.
The project is based on a pilot project funded by the French Development Agency in 2013.
Poverty Reduction
The Head of the EU Mission in Sudan, Ambassador Robert van den Dole, said that they are working with the French Development Agency, the Sudanese Ministry of Finance, the National Forest Foundation and the Farmers’ Association to collectively contribute to poverty reduction and environmental preservation by strengthening the Gum Arabic industry in Sudan.
He added that the new project will improve agricultural practices and the quality of the Sudanese gum exported, as it will lead to the recovery and revival of the Sudanese agricultural sector, respectively.
This revival, as per the head of the mission, would create more job opportunities for young people and introduce much-needed hard currency into the Sudanese economy.
For her part, the country director of the French Agency for Development in Sudan, Gael Baleno, said that the agricultural sector in general and Gum Arabic in particular is a distinct area where Sudan and France have established a strong and multifaceted relationship.
“France is the main importer of Sudanese Gum Arabic, but it wants to move forward to help the country develop its production with added value,” Baleno said.
