Forestry Expert: The Return of the Gum Council Will End Smuggling

Sudanhorizon: Hala Hamza

The former Director General of the National Forestry Authority and Gum Arabic expert, Dr. Abdul Azim Mirghani, has described the rumors about the increasing smuggling of gum Arabic across borders to neighboring countries, with the support and funding of foreign traders, as nothing new.

In statements to Sudanhorizon news website on Tuesday, Mirghani pointed to the documentation of this by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and reports by Western media agencies over the past two years, pointing to their warnings of Sudan losing control over one of its most important natural resources.

He said Reuters reported in March 2025 that large quantities of gum were being smuggled from areas outside state control, and Bloomberg warned of armed groups imposing fees on gum Arabic trucks, reflecting weak governance. Meanwhile, the FAO called for enhanced transparency and the empowerment of producers.

He said that Sudan, which produces 80% of the world’s gum Arabic, is losing its leading position to neighboring countries that re-export it under different names, with its revenues going elsewhere.

Mirghani called for the urgent re-establishment of the National Gum Arabic Council.

He emphasized its importance as the supreme coordinating and regulatory body responsible for developing gum Arabic sector, protecting and developing this resource, and combating smuggling and declining production.

He said, “Gum Arabic is not just an export product; it is part of Sudan’s environmental and cultural memory. Saving it is not an economic luxury, but rather the reclaiming of a national right to a global resource with which Sudan’s name is synonymous.”

He denounced the smuggling of Sudan’s national wealth in openly, describing it not only as a production or marketing crisis, but also as a crisis of conscience and a lack of national will toward a resource that has for decades been a symbol of Sudan’s global reputation.

He pointed out that recent data confirms Sudan’s continued role as a major player in the global gum arabic market, with its exports reaching approximately $141 million in 2023, according to the OEC World website.

He pointed to global estimates of the value of the gum arabic trade at approximately $1.01 billion in the same year, according to Market Data.

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