Sesame seeds that could be Nigeria's black gold

The seed has numerous uses, one of which is its being a very good source of vegetable oil that contains no cholesterol, making it the most demanded vegetable oil in the world.

It can be used in pharmaceuticals, confectionery, cosmetics and many industries for paints, soaps, lubricants, shampoos, etc. Sesame seeds contain 50.5% oil and 25% protein.

TOP PRODUCERS IN NIGERIA

Nigeria has been one of the highest sesame seed producing countries over the years, making the seed a very important component of the country’s agricultural export.

Tropical areas are where the seeds are mainly cultivated. Due to the drought-resistant nature of the sesame plant, it thrives excellently in the Northern part of the country and averagely in some parts of South West.

Sesame seed production probably began in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria before spreading to other states. The leading producers of the seeds are Jigawa, Nasarawa, Benue and Sokoto. Other sesame cultivating states include Yobe, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Gombe and Plateau states.

A sesame farmer in Gumel, Jigawa State, Mallam Haruna Abubakre, who spoke with Nairametrics confirmed that over 6,000 registered farmers grow the plant in the state mainly for export. He listed Babura, Mallam-Madori and Maigatari  as the leading towns in sesame seed production in Jigawa and Nigeria in general.

However, the seed can also thrive in some parts of the South East and South South, since it has been successfully cultivated in Ebonyi State and the Northern part of Cross River State. Sesame also grew when planted in Delta State, but its hybrid did not yield much seeds, although the leaves were bigger.

As at now, sesame is cultivated in about 26 states across Nigeria and with the good returns sesame farmers are getting from the seed, coupled with the huge demand by importers, its cultivation is expected to increase and spread to other states.

SESAME PRODUCTION

As at the end of 2017, Nigeria’s yearly production of sesame seeds stood at 450,000 metric tonnes and the production is expected to rise in 2018. According to another sesame farmer in Jigawa State, Mallam Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad, who also spoke to Nairametrics, the seed is commonly grown by subsistence farmers. He went on to the add that the major reason why sesame thrives richly in the Northern part of Nigeria is the fact that it can easily resist drought where other crops fail.

Another reason for its huge success in that region, according to him, is that the seed doesn’t require much fertilizer, thereby, making it less expensive to cultivate. He also pointed out the fact that the plant attracts many farmers because of its pest resistance, which lowers the cost of producing the seeds.

Also, Alhaji Sheriff Balogun, National President, National Sesame Seed Association of Nigeria (NSSAN), disclosed that Nigeria exports 80% of her annual production and that it could provide job opportunities for Nigerians through its value chain. He further listed poor transportation infrastructure, multiple taxation and inadequate crop processing plants as the major challenges hindering the production of Sesame seeds in Nigeria.

EXPORTING AND MARKETING COMPANIES

Sadly, Nigeria only engages in the exportation of the seeds and does not extract the oil at commercial scale. Contract cleaning facilities are available in Lagos, nevertheless, there are no hauling operations.

Investigation by Nairametrics revealed that buying and exportation of sesame seeds in Nigeria is led by three companies: Olam, Kelani Ark Poter Hamlet Ltd and Greenwen International Resources. Olams is an Indian agribusiness multinational company operating from seeds to shelves in over 60 companies. Olams also exports cash crops like cocoa, coffee, etc.

Kelani Ark Poter Hamlet Ltd is a seasoned exporter of most agro-allied products from Nigeria. Other leading sesame seed exporting companies include Errand Horse Ltd, Paveway International Traders Ltd, etc.

Meanwhile, since the seeds are majorly cultivated by peasant farmers, their commercialisation is carried out by buyers and middlemen, who move round the rural areas of Northern Nigeria to buy from these subsistence farmers. These buyers transport the seeds to big towns, where they are stored and sold to the agents of major sesame seed exporters.

The urban markets in these sesame producing states are the buying centres/towns for exporters. These buying centres include Malam-Madori in Jigawa, Doma in Nasarawa, Potiskum in Yobe and Dawanau in Kano State.

5XFS-7.5FC DOUBLE AIR SCREEN CLEANER IS THE BEST GRAIN SEEDS CLEANING MACHINE FOR SESAME SEEDS. OUR MACHINES ARE WILD UESED IN AFRICA, WE PROVIDE HUNDREDS OF GRAIN AND SEEDS CLEANERS TO AFRICA, ASIA, EUROPE AND AMARICA. WE ARE JULITE MACHINERY FROM SHIJIAZHUANG CITY, CHINA.