Description: Gum Arabic (Acacia Senegal) Gum Acacia, also known as Gum Arabic, is a natural gum harvested from the exterior of Acacia trees in the form of dry, hard nodules up to 50 mm in diameter, and ranging from almost colourless to brown. Its unique properties endow it with a wide range of uses in food, beverage, pharmaceutical and industrial applications. There are over 1,100 Acacia species worldwide. However Acacia Senegal and Acacia Seyal are the most commercially exploited species.
Nigeria has three grades of Gum Arabic namely:
Acacia Senegal (grade 1)
Acacia seyal (Grade 2)and
Combretum (Grade 3).
The major Acacia utilized for commercial Gum Arabic production in Nigeria are Acacia Senegal and Acacia seyal. Nigeria is the 2nd largest producer of the crop in the world after Sudan with average production of 20,000 metric tonnes of all grades of Gum Arabic. In the year 2004, world production of Gum Arabic was put at 70,000 metric tonnes while Nigeria's production amounted to 18,935 metric tonnes with export earnings of US$88.08 million.
Nigeria has three grades of Gum Arabic namely:
Acacia Senegal (grade 1)
Acacia seyal (Grade 2)and
Combretum (Grade 3).
The major Acacia utilized for commercial Gum Arabic production in Nigeria are Acacia Senegal and Acacia seyal. Nigeria is the 2nd largest producer of the crop in the world after Sudan with average production of 20,000 metric tonnes of all grades of Gum Arabic. In the year 2004, world production of Gum Arabic was put at 70,000 metric tonnes while Nigeria's production amounted to 18,935 metric tonnes with export earnings of US$88.08 million.
Harvest: Gum Arabic is harvested during the dry season because during the rainy season, no gum is formed since the trees are in full bloom. The dry season lasts from October to June and the gum is collected every 10 days during this period. After collection, the gum is brought from the farms and stands to villages from there it’s transported to market
Locations: Gum Arabic is produced in about 14 States of the Federation namely Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Plateau, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Niger with an estimated population of 4 million Nigerians engaged in its cultivation and trade
Specifications:
Uses: Gum Arabic is used as thickener, suspender, emulsifier, stabilizer, flavour carrier, binder and encapsulating material. In addition, it is used in confectionaries, food, beverages, pharmaceuticals and chemical industries.
Features
|
% percentage
|
Purity
|
98%min
|
Moisture
|
10-12%max
|
Total Ash
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4-6% max
|
Acid Insoluble residue
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0.4% max
|
Starch
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Negative
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Tannin Bearing Gums
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Negative
|
Salmonella
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Negative
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E. Coli
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Negative
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Export market: The major markets for the product are: Belgium, China, USA, U.K and Japan.
Export Price
Grades
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FOB price /MT
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Grade I
|
USD2,800-3,200
|
Grade II
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USD1,850-2,200
|
Grade III
|
USD900-1,100
|
Local price: The local price of gum Arabic grade I ranges from about N170,000 to 200,000/MT in Kano. Delivery to Lagos will increase the unit price per MT by 10,000 to 20,000.
very infomative
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