In the West Gondar Zone, more than 230,000 hectares of the region’s 760,000 hectares of forest land are covered by frankincense and gum-producing trees. This natural resource serves as a source of livelihood for thousands of local residents.
However, security challenges in the area have become a major obstacle for many frankincense and gum resin producers. Mr. Mohammed Adem, Chairman of the Lemlem Terara Frankincense and Gum Producers Cooperative in Metema District, recalls that in previous years they carefully protected the forest and earned substantial income from the resource every year.
Although the cooperative had planned to produce 200 quintals this year, he told AMICO that they were unable to achieve their target due to the security situation in the area.
Similarly, Mr. Afera Mengistu, an investor and representative of Alfa Shka Trading Company, which is actively engaged in frankincense and gum production in the Metema and Quara districts, had planned to collect 2,500 quintals during the current fiscal year. He explained that the security challenges had led to a shortage of skilled workers.
Despite these difficulties, he stated that the available workforce has enabled them to collect about 700 quintals of frankincense and gum resin so far.
Mr. Afera noted that they are currently supplying their products to the central market, where one quintal of frankincense is being sold for between 100,000 and 105,000 Ethiopian birr.
He also said that, in addition to exporting their own products, they purchase products from other cooperatives for export markets.
According to Mekuanent Derebe, a forestry expert at the West Gondar Zone Environment and Forest Protection Office, there was a plan to collect 11,000 quintals of frankincense and gum resin during the 2018 Ethiopian fiscal production season.
However, because of security problems across the region, only 5,625 quintals have been collected so far. Despite the security challenges, the products that have been harvested are being sold at favorable prices in the central market.
The expert noted that more than 14.5 million birr in royalty revenue has been generated for the government from the sale of white frankincense alone that has entered the central market so far.
He emphasized that the frankincense and gum resources of West Gondar are an important source of livelihood for young people and a valuable contributor to the national economy. However, if this natural blessing is to benefit the country to its full potential, lasting peace and security in the area are essential.
He further stressed that the local community has a major responsibility to work closely with the zonal administration to help maintain peace and security and ensure the sustainable development of this valuable resource.
Ethiopia is well endowed with over 60 gum and resin bearing species from Acacia, Boswellia and Commiphora species. Available estimates prompt that the total area of oleo-gum resin bearing woodlands cover about 2.9 million ha country, with over 300,000 metric tons of land in the of natural gum
production potential.
Research shows that frankincense/olibanum constitutes 80 % of total output of resins of this type, gum Arabic 14 % and myrrh 6 %. Most of the regions of Ethiopia including Tigray, Amhara, Somali an Oromia regions are endowed with gums & resins.
Typical applications of gums & resins include adhesive thickeners, thickeners, stabilizers, flavoring, fixatives and emulsifying agents in food products, clarification in beverages, and release agents for rubber products.
