A process for obtaining a xantan-like biopolymer from bacterial strains from Xanthomonas arboricola and/or Xanthomonas arboricola pv pruni colonies added to fermentation media containing residual waters and products related to the processing of hull-containing rice and parboilized rice and other nutrients is described, the process starting from an initial pre-inoculum (step 110), yielding a final pre-inoculum (steps 120, 220) and then an inoculum, said inoculum being fermented in a first fermenter under process conditions (steps 130 and 230) and then in a second fermenter (steps 140, 250), then the fermented broth is inactivated and submitted to insolubilization for the recovery of the biopolymer product, step (150), the biopolymer is dried (step 160), and milled or crushed to the desired particle size distribution, (step 170), and the biopolymer is recovered as a powder or an aqueous solution (step 180). Optionally after the second fermentation, (step 240), the fermented broth is centrifuged for cell separation (step 250), and the separated cells are withdrawn or destroyed (step 260a).