The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development indicated, on Tuesday, that the Federal Government would establish two additional Gum Arabic processing centres in Kano and Borno states.
The Director of Agriculture, Karima Babangida, made the disclosure in a opening remarks at a capacity building workshop on Good Agricultural Practices for Gum Arabic farmers, in Dutse, Jigawa State, saying that the centres would be established this year.
According to her, the ministry had earlier refurbished the Gum Arabic testing laboratory at the Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria in Edo State for quality assurance, and established a cottage processing centre in Damaturu, Yobe State.
Babangida said that “In recent years, the ministry made efforts to provide Gum Arabic farmers with improved seedlings, fertilizer, herbicide, tapping knives, storage bags, hammer mill with cyclone pruners, colour sorting machines and digital moisture metres, so as to improve its production.
She pointed out that Gum Arabic, otherwise known as desert gold, was one of the Commodity Value Chains being promoted by the ministry for its industrial and pharmaceutical uses, saying, “In food products, it serves as stabiliser, emulsifier and binding agent for chewing gum, ice cream and textile industry.
“Also, the trees are important for combating climate change, mitigating desertification, reducing soil erosion and improving soil fertility.”
