part2: cashing in on commodity exchange- sesame seeds

Description: Sesame seeds (or sesamum or benniseed) are the seeds of the tropical annual Sesamum indicum. The species has a long history of cultivation, mostly for its yield of oil. The original area of domestication of sesame is obscure but it seems likely to have first been brought into cultivation in Asia or India. The plant is usually 60 to 120cm tall and the fruit is a dehiscent capsule held close to the stem. When ripe, the capsule shatters to release a number of small seeds. The seeds are protected by a fibrous ‘hull’ or skin, which may be whitish to brown or black depending on the variety. 1000 seeds weigh some 4-8g. The seeds have a high oil content of 44-60%.

 Harvest: Harvesting begins in late December and continues through July. Each producing area stated in the next section below (Locations) has only one season. Locations: The major producing areas in order of priority are Nasarawa, Jigawa and Benue States. Other important areas of production are found in Yobe, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Gombe and Plateau States. The major marketing centers (towns and states) of sesame seeds in Nigeria.
      Town:                    State
 1.   Doma.  .  .      .  . Nasarawa
 2. Malam-Madori  .  . Jigawa
 3.  Potiskum.  .  .  .  . Yobe
 4 . Oturkpo.  .  .  .  .   Benue
 5 .Dawanau.  .  .  .  .  Kano

Types/Varieties: There are 3 types of sesame (and these include: White, Black and Brown/Mixed sesame seeds). However only two of these are majorly produced in Nigeria and these includes;
1. White/raw = Food-grade used in bakery industry. 98-100% whitest grade seeds.
2. Brown/mixed = primarily oil-grade. The White (Food Grade) seed is grown around the towns of Keffi, Lafia/Makurdi, Doma, and in Nassarawa, Taraba, and Benue States. It is easier to sort and the Fumani/Denin people consume sesame locally. The Brown/mixed grows in the North, in Kano State and in Jigawa State near Hadejia, and somewhat in the southern part of Katsina State. Specifications Features. % percentage Oil content. 45-60% min Impurities. 0-2%max Free fatty acid (FFA). 1-2%max Moisture content. 6-9% max Uses: Most sesame is processed directly into oil by the grower or within the producing region, but can also be sold in various stages of processing, for various uses, such as meal, paste, confections, and bakery products.

Input: Seeds
 Products: Confectionery
Description and Uses: Fried seeds may be bound together with sugar syrup to give sweetmeats.

Inputs: Seeds
Products: Biscuits
Descriptions and Uses: The whole seeds can be baked into biscuits. 

Inputs:(Hulled) seeds
Products: Bakery
Descriptions and Uses: Popular in northern Europe either incorporated into breads or as decorative toppings. May be used hulled or whole.

 Inputs: Seeds, sometimes roasted
Products: Oil
Descriptions and Uses: Particularly used in oriental cuisine. The flavor is quite strong and rarely compatible with traditional Western style cooking but also used as a salad oil.

Inputs:Oil
Products: Medicinal treatment
 Descriptions and uses: Ulcers and burns

 Inputs: Oil
Products: Margarine
Description and uses: Once an important use, now other cheaper vegetable oils are available

 Inputs:Oil
Products: Aerosol
Description and uses: Reported use as a synergist for pyrethrum sprays 

Inputs:Low grade oil
 Products: Various
Description and uses:Soaps paints, lubricants, and illuminants. Local uses, of no importance in international trade

 Inputs:Hulled seeds
Products:Tahini
Description and uses: A paste of sesame seeds which is used as an ingredient in eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods

 Inputs:Tahini
Products:Dips &spreads
Description and uses:Various ingredients, such as chickpeas or eggplants, are added to Tahini to make dips and spreads such as hummus

Inputs:Tahini
Products:Halva
Description and uses:A sweet made from Tahini and sugar with other added flavorings

 Inputs:Cake
Products:Animal feed
Description and uses:Protein rich useful supplement

 Inputs:Cake from hulled seeds
Products:Ingredient
Description and uses:Used in some Indian cooking. Also as a snack in, for example, the Nigerian Kulikuli

 Export market: The major importer of sesame seeds in the world is Japan while the major consuming markets in the EU are Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. In the past, the bulk of sesame was imported from China. Increasingly, other sources such as India, Sudan and, most recently, Pakistan, are taking the market share. The USA is the fifth largest import market with a steady demand for over 50,000 tonnes per year. Export Price: The export free on board price of sesame seed varies from USD 900 -1400/MT depending on the type and form of the sesame seed and the negotiation made with the buyers. Local price: local price per metric tonne MT of sesame seed varies from NGN80,000.00 during the peak season to about NGN120,000.00 at the off season. However local price when delivered EXW Lagos (delivered in Lagos) could range from NGN 130,000 – 160,000.00..

Pls note: this prices are subject to. Season of sales.. Thanks