The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the West African Cotton Co. Ltd., (WACOT) to develop and reposition sesame seed production in the country. The Minister, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, who was represented by Mr Damilola Eniaiyeju, the Director, Extension Services, at the signing ceremony in Abuja, said that sesame was a good foreign exchange earner for the country.
“Sesame is coming on board because it is of great importance to the world; Nigeria is the 7th largest producer of sesame which is also called “beni seed”. As at today, we are producing about 120,000 tonnes of this wonderful crop and we wish to go higher; so it is being given an impetus in our agricultural agenda. In every respect, this crop, not just being an oil crop or a leguminous crop, has fine qualities to make us an economically viable nation.”
The minister said WACOT had the capacity to develop the sesame value chain in the country having promoted the cotton value chain effectively after the ministry signed an MoU with the company in 2012. He said that Nigeria could reposition the commodity through its value chain to compete with the world’s top producers.
“We are still a long way off in trying to see how we can move up to the top of the ladder after Myanmar, India, China, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. Our mission remains that we want to make Nigeria food and nutritionally secure.”
Also speaking, Mr Tembe Ravi, the Managing Director of WACOT, said the company and its Tropical General Investment (TGI) Group, were strongly committed to local value addition and employment generation. While stressing the uniqueness of the Nigerian sesame seed, he said the seed cultivation would be extended to new areas, to enable famers to diversify into less rain-dependent and more profitable crop.
“The Sesame Seed MoU which we have signed today, again shows our commitment to improve the quality of seeds, train farmers on good agricultural practices and thereby improve the yield. The importing countries value Nigerian sesame seed very high for its sweet taste compared to slightly bitter taste of the sesame seed produced in other countries. This sweet taste will encourage producing farmers in pricing, if they maintain good quality; the objective now is to work on capacity building and provide market access to farmers.”
Ravi, however, decried the adulteration of Nigerian sesame seeds, saying that the impurity level in farm produce which should not exceed three to four per cent, had reached 17 per cent.
He also said that the deliberate attempt to mix sand with the farm produce would not only cause huge losses to the processors, but also tarnish the reputation of the Nigerian sesame seed. “It is becoming impossible to achieve the 99.98 per cent purity demanded by European and American end users even after passing through multiple cleaners and destoners. We hope that the Produce Inspection Service will take cognisance of this and bring culprits to book, to restore the confidence of oversea buyers,” he said.
The global sesame seed production reached 3.84 million tonnes in 2010. The commodity has many industrial, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and culinary uses some of which include providing healthy fats, protein, fibre, being a good source of Vitamin B, essential to red blood cell health, energy and food metabolism. Sesame seeds also contains a number of minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and selenium. These minerals support bone health, a strong immune system and fluid balance.
