Nigeria 
Desert encroachment fought with cash crop in Nigeria

Misanet.com / IPS, 20 February - Nigeria's Jigawa State, in collaboration with the United States, has launched a programme to harness the potentials of Gum Arabic to reduce poverty and fight desert encroachment in northern Nigeria. "Apart from its foreign currency potentials, the Gum Arabic tree will be used to fight drought and desertification," says Governor Ibrahim Tukari. 

A partnership agreement towards the development of the agricultural commodity was signed recently in Maigatari between Governor Turaki and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the American Soft Drinks Association and Importer Services Corporation (ISC). Jigawa State has the largest collection of Gum Arabic plantations, covering more than 800 hectares.

The ISC has agreed to buy the region's entire Gum Arabic produce, worth 400,000 US dollars, this year. The corporation, in conjunction with Atlantic Gums Corporation, also has pledged to train gum harvesters and provide technical assistance in plantation expansion programme with a target of 500,000 hectares a year and a 10-year goal of six million hectares.

A major impediment to exporting Gum Arabic to the United States has been the poor quality of the commodity due to poor processing, which invariably failed to meet the very high standards of the US market. This, the Jigawa State government is taking care of.

- The first step in the partnership will be the establishment of a Gum Arabic test laboratory that would provide the critical quality control mechanism required to reassure the US market and open the door to Nigerian Gum Arabic, says Turaki. "Nigeria's gum," says Turaki, "is of top quality; ISC officials personally took samples for testing." 

US interests in Nigeria's Gum Arabic soared last year, when the USAID announced the approval of seven million US dollars under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to facilitate the production of the commodity in the West African country.

Ravi Aulakh, USAID development officer, told Bukar Ibrahim, Governor of neighbouring State of Yobe during a visit, that the agency had fashioned programmes to explore areas of partnership in implementing AGOA, one of which is producing, processing, exporting and marketing Nigeria's Gum Arabic.

- The partnership also involves USAID collaboration with the various state governments, ministries of agriculture and environment, in the design of programmes to meet global standards in the Gum Arabic market, says Aulakh. 

Yobe State last year committed 285,000 US dollars to purchase 10 million seedlings. "With the raising of the seedlings, not less than 1,700 hectares of Gum Arabic will be established in the 17 local government areas within Yobe State in one year," Governor Ibrahim said. The seedlings would be distributed free to local farmers, individuals, government and non-governmental organisations during the planting season.

A derivative of the acacia tree, Gum Arabic, is an important ingredient in various products ranging from soda and candy to pharmaceuticals and printing industries.

It acts as an emulsifier, flavouring agent and thickener in both food and pharmaceutical, it is also used in the newspaper and magazine printing process, allowing ink to stick better to the paper while keeping it from smearing as well as protecting the printing plates from oxidation.

The renewed interest in the growing of Gum Arabic trees, covering 19 northern states which have been affected by the movement of the Sahara desert and have threatened the livelihood of the inhabitants, according to environmentalists, would go a long way to checking desert encroachment in Nigeria. 

At full maturity, Gum Arabic can withstand any weather condition. Animals do not easily destroy the thorny tree, making it a perfect tree to fight the menace of desert encroachment.

Adamu Bello, Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture said Gum Arabic had played a significant role in the socio-economic development of Nigeria. "Between 1969 and 1979, about 48,966 tonnes of Gum Arabic were produced in Nigeria, with Borno State being the highest producer. Gum export rose from 4,500 tonnes in 1980 to 5,000 tonnes in 1996," he said.

- The Sahel zone of Nigeria has been the predominant area for the production of Gum Arabic, the minister said. "It is however, disturbing to note that in spite of the tremendous potentials of the crop and the comparative advantage the country has in its production, Nigeria has been unable to compete favourably in the international Gum Arabic export market. Countries like Chad and Sudan have since overtaken Nigeria in the export of the commodity."

Bello said the government was aware of the great potentials of Gum Arabic as a vehicle for the enhancement of farmers' income and poverty alleviation. Last year, his ministry established the Rural Transformation Programme (ARTP) for the production of Gum Arabic seedlings for distribution at subsidised rates.

- The launching of Gum Arabic production programme in Jigawa State should spur us to rededicate ourselves to the improvement of Nigeria's Gum Arabic industry and hence the increase in farmers' income, said Bello. "This is in consonance with the commitment of the present administration to use agriculture as a catalyst to develop this great nation."

Olukayode Oyeleye, an agricultural analyst, believes Nigeria has what it takes to produce Gum Arabic for export. "If Nigeria can exploit the benefit of economies of scale, ethical standards, knowledge of the market and dynamism involved in the trade, it will increase her chance to compete and possibly wrest the leadership position from Sudan," he said.

Sudan's export of Gum Arabic represents between 70 and 90 percent of the world's supply. The United States alone imports 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes of the commodity from Sudan, totalling approximately nine million US dollars a year.

UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) estimates possible growths in Gum Arabic export from Nigeria at between 45 million US dollars and 68 million dollars, with a market share of 30 percent between year 2000 and 2010. At this rate, Nigeria can make almost four million US dollars annually from the commodity.

By Toye Olori, IPS

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