28.08.2025 22:36
The gum obtained from the wild-growing kenger plant in the mountainous regions of Malatya competes with gold, as its price reaches 10,000 TL per kilogram.
The kenger plant, which grows naturally in the rural areas of Malatya's Darende and Akçadağ districts, is harvested in the summer after it dries, and a special method is used to obtain gum from its root for sale. Due to its labor-intensive production process and health benefits, kenger gum has a very high market value and has become an important source of income for the local people.
DIFFICULT TO HARVEST
Farmer Mehmet Demirkaya, who lives in the Kozluca neighborhood of Akçadağ district, goes to the mountainous area of Büyük Mahalle every summer and collects kenger gum after hours of intense work. Using a hoe, Demirkaya exposes the root of the plant and helps the liquid that forms the gum to come out by cutting the root diagonally with a knife. The liquid, which hardens after waiting in the soil for a day, is then collected.
SOLD FOR 30 LIRA PER PIECE
The gums that are cleaned at home are pounded with a stone under cold water and soaked in hot water to remove soil and foreign substances. Kenger gum, prepared entirely by natural methods, finds buyers at 30 TL per piece and up to 10 thousand TL per kilogram. Mehmet Demirkaya stated that not only gum but also coffee is produced from the kenger plant, noting that the price of kenger coffee ranges from 1,000 to 1,500 TL per kilogram.
Demirkaya noted that kenger gum has positive effects, especially on the digestive system, and recommended that citizens try the gum.