The Story of Gum Arabic: Sudan’s Intricate Relationships with Gum Arabic, Prof. Hassan Abdelnour

Professor Hassan Osman Abdelnour Adam
Director
Research Chair on Gum Arabic, Faculty of Forestry
University of Khartoum
Sudan

Abstract: 

Over centuries, Sudan nurtured historic, benign, spiritual, ethnobotanic and sovereign relationships with Gum Arabic of commerce analogous to that of Brazil with Rubber, Ethiopia and Yemen with Coffea arabica, India with Sandalwood, Iran with Pistachios and Madagascar with Vanilla. In historic terms, Ancient Egyptians and Sudanese were the first to Decipher the Chemistry of Gums in Mummification of the Dead, making of Paints and Fixing Colors, The spiritual, historic relationship is exemplified in Quranic verses such as: (And We shaded you with clouds and sent down on you Al-Manna and the quails, (saying): "Eat of the good lawful things We have provided for you," (but they rebelled). And they did not wrong Us but they wronged themselves. Al-Baqarah (57). To further cement and bond the relationships, contemporary Sudan proceeded to harness, solicit and deploy multiple elements in this regard such as:

1. Acknowledging and reaping the benefits of the Ecological Socio-economic Role of Gum producing Trees
2. Cherishing, refining and deployment of relevant endemic Traditional Knowledge & Norms
3. Undertaking of Twelve Decades of Administrative Legislative Measures-(1902-),
   • Establishment of Sudan Forest Service (1900) with a Mandate to   Manage Forests on Principles of Perpetual Production of Wood and Non-wood Forest Products Beside Environmental Protection
   • Promulgation of Forest Policies and Guarding Laws from 1901-2018
   • Repetitive Inventories of Forests Resources together with Formulation and Progressive Revision of Management Plans for Forest Resources
   • Institutionalization and promotion of Forest Research, Extension and Education from Certificates to Post Graduate Awards
   • Development of Protocol for Sustainable Production of Gum Hashab (1956-), from seed collection, nursery techniques, sylvicultural operations, through Processing and Marketing
   • Organization of Producers into Gum Arabic Production Associations
   • Solicit and Harness Cooperation with-cum- Support from International Community & Development Partners

Outlook: The Republic of the Sudan aspires to: (a) consolidate and further advance accumulated and acquired knowledge about natural gums and other Non-wood Forest Products the country is endowed with particularly Gum Arabic and (b) put to application and mainstream proven and globally recognized Culinary, Medicinal, Pharmaceutical, Aromatic and Industrial traits -cum-applications of Gum Arabic.