Common Man’s Seed – Sim Sim

Sesame, also called benne, cultivated since antiquity for its seeds, which are used as food and flavouring and from which a prized oil is extracted. The whole seed is used extensively in the cuisines of the Middle East and Asia. Halvah is a confection made of crushed and sweetened sesame seeds. In Europe and North America the seeds are used to flavour and garnish various foods, particularly breads and other baked goods. The aroma and taste of sesame seed are mild and nutlike.

The chief constituent of the seed is its fixed oil, which usually amounts to about 44 to 60 percent. It is used as a salad or cooking oil, in shortening and margarine, and in the manufacture of soaps, pharmaceuticals, and lubricants. Sesame oil is used as an ingredient in cosmetics. The press cake remaining after the oil is expressed is also highly nutritious.

Probably originating in Asia or East Africa, sesame is now found in most of the tropical, subtropical, and southern temperate areas of the world. Before the time of Moses, the Egyptians used the ground seed as grain flour. The Romans ground sesame seeds with cumin to make a pasty spread for bread.

A detailed report on the Origin Countries for Sesame Seeds: –

  1. India : –
    1. India is the largest producer of Sesame seeds in the world with production of 7 to 8 lakh tonnes per annum. This includes all the varieties of sesame produced in India viz. Natural, Hulled, Golden, Roasted, Black and Crushing
    2. To diversify its Sesame Categories, Bharat not only has a fully developed hulling industry with a capacity of 250,000 tons but also processes and exports raw and refined Sesame Seed Oil in bulk and small packing. Total Sesame oil Exports for the year 2018-19 was around 9,940 mt
    3. India Harvests sesame twice a year; First is the summer crop during May/June and Second is the winter crop during October/November
    4. Following are the major producing states of Sesame and Importing Countries for Indian Sesame Seeds: –
Producing States in IndiaMajor Importing CountriesImported Quantity
GujaratEuropean Union68,700 mt
RajasthanVietnam45,400 mt
Uttar PradeshKorea32,000 mt
Madhya PradeshUSA19,500 mt
West BengalTaiwan16,400 mt
MaharashtraNetherlands12,300 mt
KarnatakaRussia12,000 mt
Andhra PradeshGermany11,500 mt
AssamIndonesia11,300 mt
TelanganaGreece10,700 mt
  1. Category wise export of Indian Sesame
VarietyQty Exported
Natural Whitish65,000 mt
Hulled215,000 mt
Crushing Quality24,000 mt
Black5500 mt
Golden500 mt
  1. India Imports around 70,000 mt of sesame seeds per annum from Sudan, Nigeria and Somalia quantity being 44,000 mt, 11,500 mt and 10,700 mt respectively
  1. Sudan: –
    1. In the past couple of years Sudan has by far been the biggest feeder to the Sesame eating whale in the world. It nearly exports 30% of its total exports to China.
    2. Major varieties of Sesame Seeds produced by Sudan are Gadariff, Non- Gadariff and Reddish. Gadariff being the premium quality amongst the three.
    3. The Sesame harvest season in Sudan is during October/November.
    4. Following are the major producing regions of Sesame and Importing Countries for Indian Sesame Seeds: –
Producing RegionsMajor Importing CountriesImported Quantity
ElgadarifChina124,200 mt
KurdurfanEgypt66,400 mt
DarfurIndia41,294 mt
Blue NileSaudi Arabia39,000 mt
SinnarTurkey32,000 mt
White NileSyria20,400 mt
OthersJordan13,700 mt
  1. The average price of Sudanese Sesame Seeds ranged from USD 1550/- per mt to USD 1700/- per mt from November 2018 to August 2019
  2. Sudan exports around 570,000 mt of sim sim basis average of last 3 years.
  1. Ethiopia: –
    1. Ethiopia is the 4th largest Sesame producing country in the world and sim sim is the second largest earning for the country post coffee.
    2. A notable fact about the Ethiopian Sesame is that they are naturally organic and healthy for human consumption
    3. Total production of Sesame seeds in Ethiopia is around 321,000 mt which is divided as follows: –
Producing RegionsArea wise Sesame Seeds ProductionMajor Importing CountriesImported Quantity
Tigray Region129,500 mtIsrael58000 mt
Amhara Region92,000 mtChina50,000 mt
Benishangul – Gumuz Region62,600 mtUAE28,000 mt
SNNP Region20,000 mtVietnam18,000 mt
Oromia Region17800 mtJapan16,000 mt
Singapore13,000 mt
Turkey11,000 mt
Saudi Arabia9,500 mt
  1. Chinese imports for Ethiopian Sesame is reducing drastically since last year and UAE import share increasing highly
  2. On an average Ethiopia exports around 270,000 mt (avg past 3 years)

Global Sesame Market Analysis: –

Burkina Faso: –

  • Sesame consumption locally within the country is very low, Sesame Seeds are produced on the country majorly for export.
  • Major importing countries include Singapore, Togo, China, Japan and Ghana
  • This year so far the rainfall remains good overall and activities relating to the sesame harvest are in the fifth gear.
  • We might expect the production to be akin to 2018

India: –

  • The local production is expected to be increased by around 100,000 mt which might reduce the imported quantity in the current year
  • The rainfall in the producing areas kept good in the beginning however excessive rains during the end of the season have kept the prices at wholesale market to be firm
  • Traders are expecting a bumper crop this year and expect the price to come down in the current year.
  • Wholesale FOB price are around USD 1450/- per mt

Sudan: –

  • Sudan production in the current season is expected to be lower on account of the political instability in the country.
  • Not only the production but even the exports had reduced in the current season. The issue however is now under control.
  • The Sudanese Pound highly depreciated since August 2018 to August 2019 there rate whereby was 17.95 and 45 respectively

Mozambique: –

  • Production of Sesame in Mozambique remained akin to the previous year
  • Due to Zimbabwe and Malawi exports adding to the supply, the Mozambique exports have increased.

Tanzania: –

  • The auction sale at Tanzania increased tremendously in the current crop season by 133%.
  • The areas where the auction was carried out was, Lindi, Songea, Masasi, Tunduru and Namtumbo
  • The average auction price for Tanzania Sesame Seeds was around USD 1500/- per mt

China: –

  • The China’s production of Zhima is expected to be more than the previous year due to increased area under production and yield per hectare
  • However the Sesame Giant is expected to import around 7 to 8 lakh tonnes of Zhima in the coming year
  • Huge stocks accumulated at Qingdao port limiting the prices to go higher. As per reports the stock at Qingdao port is approximately 140,000 mt

Current Update and Outlook for the product: –

  1. The biggest buyer i.e. China has kept very steady buying this season as there is High stock around 150,000 mt at the Ports. This has resulted in decrease of price in the local market.
  2. The Price of Nigerian Sesame Bauchi 98% purity is around USD 1280/- per mt
  3. Delayed Rainfall in India during the end of crop cycle has resulted into some damage causing the prices to remain firm.
  4. We still await the arrivals to begin in Sudan and Ethiopia. Once the arrivals begin we expect the price at the origins to lower down a bit which may kickstart the demand.

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