SESAME SEED: A FAST RISING INCOME GENERATOR FOR THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY
Agriculture is the pillar of Nigeria’s socio-economic development as it serves as a catalyst for employment generation and major non-oil foreign exchange earner. A key policy objective of sustainable economic development especially in any developing country like Nigeria is to establish an agricultural sector that is both economically efficient and sustainable. Over the past few decades, exports of agricultural products have played a pivotal role in the economic growth of many developing countries.
Nigeria has a wide variety of agricultural products with the capacity to generate revenue and earn foreign exchange for the government. One of such commodities is sesame seeds. Sesame seed is considered to be the oldest oilseed crop known to humanity. Sesame seed is a cash crop with wide varieties in Africa. Accordingly, it is classified into white and brown varieties. The brown grain, often referred to as the oil grade, is used in the production of sesame oil while the white grain is used by
bakeries for pastry garnishing and salad.
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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. Nigeria is the second-largest producer in Africa after Sudan, and the third-largest in the world, with about 580,000 tonnes produced in 2017. The sesame seed has the potential of generating a billion dollars annually for Nigeria. In the first quarter of 2018, it was the most exported non-oil commodity, contributing 0.57% to the total export value and
36.39% of agricultural exports. Also, Sesame seeds were the second most exported Agric product from Nigeria in Q1,2020 following cocoa bean which topped the list, Nigeria exported N49 billion worth of sesame seeds to Asia and Europe.
Sesame seeds are produced in many parts of Nigeria; the leading producing states are Jigawa, Nasarawa, Benue, and Sokoto. Others include Yobe, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Gombe, and Plateau states. The seeds are majorly cultivated by small scale farmers and marketed by buyers and middlemen. These buyers transport the seeds to big towns, where they are stored and sold to the agents of major sesame seed exporters.
Sesame seed has numerous uses. It serves as a good source of vegetable oil that contains no cholesterol, making it the most demanded vegetable oil in the world. Sesame seeds contain 50.5% oil and 25% protein. It is also used in the production of pharmaceuticals, confectionery, cosmetics, and many industries for paints, soaps, lubricants, and shampoos.
Nigeria’s sesame seeds are fast gaining momentum in the global market as farmers increase production in order to earn foreign exchange through non-oil export.