Sagaing Region Agriculture Dept covers over 20,000 acres of Tragacanth Gum

More than 20,000 acres of Tragacanth Gum (locally called Saekalama) have been cultivated in Sagaing Region, said U Win Hlaing Oo, head of the Sagaing Region Agriculture Department.
That project commenced in June 2021 and 26,268 acres of plants have been placed so far, the department stated.
“The Tragacanth Gum plants cultivation is mostly found in Ayadaw Township, constituting around 12,000 sown acres. The plant can thrive in different types of soil. The acreage of that tropical plant is expanded in the upland regions. The residents used to kill the grass instead of trimming them. It added expensive mechanical costs. The department urged them to cut or trim the grass to maintaining the soil fertility,” said U Win Hlaing Oo, head of the regional department.
The department covered 18,259 acres of plants in Monywa, 486 in Yinmabin, 3,571 in Shwebo, 893 in Kanbalu, 2,694 in Sagaing and 365 in Katha districts across the region.
The department encouraged the growers to use chemical-free good agricultural practices (GAP). Those farms which utilize the GAP system will earn the GAP certificate and can also help grasp firm market shares in the international market.
Additionally, the department will coordinate with the related chambers to boost the yield and penetrate more markets.
Myanmar Tragacanth Gum is currently being exported to China. Additionally, Japan showed interest in it but it wants only organic farmed gum. The gum producer bodies have submitted the report to the Commerce Ministry to help link with more external markets.
Tragacanth Gum which is also known as Sterculia gum or Karaya gum is grown in many countries, but can only be used for industrial raw materials. However, Myanmar can grow gum that can be eaten. Therefore, there is a high demand for Myanmar’s Tragacanth Gum Saykalama in Myanmar. — Lu Lay/GNLM