Abstract

Exudate gums occupy a prime place among Non-Wood Forest Produce (NWFP) and are known to mankind since time immemorial. Use of exudate gums for domestic consumption and sale to earn some cash is very common among the forest dwelling communities particularly tribals in India. Thousands of forest dwellers particularly in Central and Western Indian states depend on exudate gums as a viable source of income. Gum collectors collect exudate gums by scraping it from trees using locally available devices (i.e. knife, pruning knife and axe) in bamboo basket or bag. The collected gums are cleaned by removing the bark and other foreign matters adhered to it. The cleaned gum is then dried in sun followed by grading manually based on size and colour of gum tears. Forest dwellers either sell graded gums in local market or store it in bamboo basket for their consumption or for sale later when prices are remunerative. The paper discusses the methods and devices used in primary processing unit operation of exudate gums, problems associated in carrying out the unit operation and scope of improvement.

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