Gum arabic, used in the food industry under the name E414, is a sought-after substance: it is a “wound juice” that exudes from the tree when you cut it. It is used in many areas: in pharmacy, for shoe polish, in sweets or for cosmetic products. In ancient Egypt it was indispensable for the embalming of dead bodies.
It also plays an important role in the production of soft drinks: as a stabilizer, it prevents sugar from collecting at the bottom and crystallizing. How important the substance really is was shown in 1997 when the USA imposed a trade embargo on Sudan. Because the boycott made an exception for gum arabic of all things: The Coca-Cola company should not be cut off from the supply of the raw material.
Germany is an important customer
Sudan is the world‘s leading gum arabic producer – around 70 percent of the coveted raw material comes from the north-east African country. The income of many Sudanese depends directly or indirectly on its export. But the ongoing fighting has brought exports to a virtual standstill.
According to data from the international economic database OEC (The Observatory of Economic Complexity), Sudan exported 99 million euros worth of gum arabic in 2021, making it the second largest exporter in the world. Most exports went to France, the USA and Germany.
Harvesting is still in progress: A Sudanese shows freshly harvested gum arabic on a wooden stickImage: Ashraf Shazily/AFP
Fighting is great danger
Sudanese journalist Hussein Ali told DW that continuing the war would result in a “complete collapse in exports and a crisis for many large companies. It is expected that if the war continues, strategic reserves will run out.”
Many locals are financially dependent on the sale of gum arabic, but since the conflict began between the Sudanese army commanded by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo’s special forces, the business has become increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, the conflict is severely hampering production and trade.
Professor Abulgasim Seifeldin, former chairman of Sudan’s Agricultural Research Cooperation, told DW: “The product is an important crop for Sudan and the second or third most important export product.”
Vital Juice
Gum arabic is a liquid from acacia trees that grow mainly in the deserts and semi-deserts of the Sahel zone – the so-called rubber belt that runs through several countries. There are two main types of acacia: The gum acacia Senegalia Senegal, this species predominates in Sudan, and the less common Vachellia seyalthe seyal acacia.
If the acacias are injured, for example by fire or insects, the trees produce the rubber to close open pores. This minimizes water loss. The rubber ensures that the tree can still store water and thus survive.
The farmers obtain the rubber by what is known as tapping. They scratch the tree bark and harvest the liquid that escapes, the gum arabic. This solidifies when it comes into contact with sunlight and the surrounding air. After a few weeks, the farmers collect the gum and repeat this throughout the harvest season.
Abulgasim Seifeldin says many farmers only do this with simple tools, reaping a relatively meager harvest, which he estimates at around 250 grams per tree. Once collected, the rubber is cleaned and sorted and sold to intermediaries who in turn sell it to processors or to exporters.
Two Sudanese harvesting an acacia Photo: Ashraf Shazily/AFP
Who Needs Gum Arabic?
The food industry is very dependent on it, needs it as a natural dietary supplement and needs it as a source of so-called active fiber. It does not change the basic chemical-biological properties of a food and is found in confectionery, sauces and salad dressings, as well as in baked goods, dairy products and beverages.
The “Coca-Cola recipe” is one of the food industry’s best kept secrets. Nevertheless, the company reveals that it cannot produce its drinks without this basic ingredient. A reliable supply of this substance is essential. Coca Cola did not respond to a request from DW.
A supply chain collapses
The Hamburg-based industry association International Promotion of Gums (AIPG) responded in writing to a DW query and said that the AIPG member associations and companies are closely monitoring the current developments with their local partners and hope for a peaceful solution soon so that “the acacia gum market can return to normal”.
The situation is currently becoming increasingly unsustainable for many farmers, says Abulgasim Seifeldin: “Production is suffering because many farmers can no longer go to the fields. They can no longer sell or export them. Traders will no longer be able to get the rubber cleaned or packaged and then transport it to the port, Port Sudan.”