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FARMER’S GUIDE FOR THE FRODUCTION

AND POST-HARVEST HANDLING OF SESAME PRODUCTS IN

NIGERIA

STDF Project 172 co-financed by NEPC and STDF, implemented

by NEPC and supervised by ITC

2014

TRAINING MANUAL

EXPANDING EXPORT OF SESAME SEED AND SHEANUT/BUTTER THROUGH IMPROVED SPS

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS

Bruno DOKO, International Consultant, ITC, STDF Project 172

Samson ENWERE, NSSAN, Nigeria

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Authors are thankful to all contributors of the preparation of this manual. Particularly, they

expressed their warmest thanks to NEPC, and NSSAN for the relevant inputs.

They also expressed their strong appreciations to the project’s sponsors, e.g. STDF/WTO, and

NEPC whose supports enable the production of this manual. Special thanks to NCRI for their

providing some relevant inputs.

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This document presents “Farmer’s Guide for the Production and Post-Harvest Handling of Sesame Products in

Nigeria”.

This document has been prepared in consultation with the project colaborating instititutions/agencies and several

sector stakeholders.

Authors:

Bruno DOKO, International Consultant to ITC, STDF Project # 172

Samson Enwere, NSSAN, Nigeria

Disclaimer: This document has not been formally edited by STDF/WTO or the ITC.

Views and opinions expressed are those of author and do not necessarily coincide with those of ITC, NEPC, NSSAN,

UN and WTO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this paper do not imply the

expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the ITC or WTO concerning the legal status of any country,

territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Mention of firms, products and product brands does not imply the endorsement of ITC.

This document was developed within the framework of Project STDF 172 funded by the STDF/WTO, implemented

by the NEPC and supervised by the ITC entitled "Expanding Nigeria's Exports of Sesame Seeds and Sheanut/ Butter

Through Improved SPS Capacity Building for the Private and Public Sector".

This document is part of a set of documents developed under NEPC’s coordination, involving all stakeholders, in its

effort of contributing to the improvement of the quality and compliance with Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures

of sheanuts/butter and sesame seeds from Nigeria.

Fo more information on NEPC: www.nepc.gov.ng

For more information on STDF: www.standardsfacility.org

For more information on ITC: www.intracen.org
http://www.nepc.gov.ng/http://www.standardsfacility.org/http://www.intr…

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Table of Contents

1. Economic Importance of Sesame 9

1.1. Production 10

1.2. Utilisation 11

1.3. Markets and Economics 13

2. Agricultural Practices: Pre-Season Activities 14

2.1. Site Selection, Seed Variety Selection and Seed Sources 15

2.2. Field Preparation 18

3. Plant Protection Practices: Seasons Activities 22

3.1. Weeds 23

3.2. Insect Pests 26

3.3. Diseases 27

4. Sesame Production Requirements: Season Activities 29

4.1. Sesame Planting 30

4.2. Thinning 32

5. Plant Development and Recommended Practices: Seasons Practices 33

5.1. Maturity and Harvest Determination 34

5.1.1. Planting Stage end point DAP: 0 - 5 - Emergence 34

5.1.2. Seedling Stage end Point DAP 6 – 25: 3rd pair true leaf length 34

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34

5.1.3. Juvenile Stage end Point DAP 26 - 37: First buds 35

5.1.4. Pre-Reproductive Stage end Point - DAP 38-44: 50% open flowers 35

5.1.5. Early bloom stage end points DAP 45-52: 36

5 node pairs of capsules 36

5.1.6. Mid-Bloom Stage End Point - DAP 53-70: 36

Branches/minor plants stop flowering 36

5.1.7. Late Bloom Stage end Point - DAP 71-80 – 37

90% of plants with no flowers 37

5.1.8. Ripening Stage end Point DAP 81-90: 37

Physiological maturity (PM) 37

6. Harvesting and Post-harvest Handling Practices 39

6.1. Harvesting Sesame Seed 40

6.2. Manual harvesting 43

6.2.1. Threshing and Winnowing 43

6.2.2. Drying 44

6.2.3. Storage 45

6.2.4. Transportation 46

6.3. Manual Cleaning process 47

6.4. Mechanical Cleaning 48

6.5. Sesame Seed Quality Control 49

6.5.1. Quality Assurance: 49

6.5.2. Quality Control (QC): 49

6.5.3. Certification of services/products: 50

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Note or Acronyms or Abbreviations

This page should contain the list of abbreviations within the document. It can be named either

Note or Acronyms or Abbreviations.

IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

ITC International Trade Centre

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

WTO World Trade Organization

STDF Standards and Trade Development Facility

NAFDAC National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control

NEPC Nigerian Export Promotion Council

NCRI National Cereals Research Institute

NSPRI Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute

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INTRODUCTION

Food safety has become a serious societal issue because of pathogens and food contamination.

Safe produce begins with the production and handling practices on the farm. A sesame seed

grown and sold with little biological contamination is less likely to result in health hazards

caused by poor handling during later preparation stages. Farmers/producers have the critical

job of minimizing product contamination by learning about potential sources of contamination

and by using Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), e.g., a set of recommendations that can help

improve the quality and safety of the produce grown.

Good agricultural practices (GAPs) at the farm level involve multi-faceted efforts at ensuring

that foods are safe for human consumption. There are a variety of GAPs that can be instituted

at the farm level. Contamination of farm goods affects both consumers and agricultural

producers. Thus, providing safe foods and promoting safety for humans and the environment

include all the steps in the production chain from farm to consumer.

GAPs are a set of recommendations to improve the quality and safety of sesame products.

Failure to institute a GAP program allows the risk of contaminated food products in the

production process. GAP programs is meant to help farmers self-audit their operations of

producing, post-harvest handling (e.g. processing, drying, storage, and transportation) to

safeguard sesame products, the environment, and both the consumers and producers.

After identifying the risks that may exist within a producer’s specific operation, a series of

action steps can be developed to measure, monitor, and, if necessary, modify procedures

designed to reduce these risks. By using a food safety plan that tracks and documents

procedures, a producer has a series of information and records that demonstrate progress

toward the reduction of risks for the operation.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Sesame farmers/producers and their employees have the critical job of production of safe

produce by having access to appropriate information and practices to minimizing and/or

eliminate potential sources of hazards by following recommended practices. These

recommendations, e.g., general guidelines elaborated in the manual can be adapted and/or

incorporated at any stage, focusing a number of primary components displayed into six main

chapters including:

1. Economic Importance of sesame;

2. Agricultural Practices: Pre-Season Activities;

3. Plant Protection Practices: Season Activities;

4. Sesame Production Requirements: Season Activities;

5. Plant Development and Recommended Practices: Season Activities;

6. Harvesting and Post-Harvest Handling Practices: Post-Season Activities.

This guide provides a brief overview of the concept of GAPs and highlights some of the

potential consequences of not instituting GAP guidelines into a farm’s operation. Not instituting

GAP guidelines into a farm’s operation allows consumer’s exposure to potential contamination

risks. Therefore, GAP guidelines should be a priority for all farmers since they benefit both

consumers and producers.

GAPs can help trace contaminated foods back to the “handlers and growers” responsible for

unsafe agricultural products. Besides the risks at field level, an important aspect of each farm

operation is the post-harvest handling of sesame products because of the risk of exposure to

contaminants (or cross-contamination) during storage, transportation and distribution of

products. Preventing contamination at all possible sources on the farm and during post-harvest

handling is critical because of the impact on both consumers and producers.

Quality control and Food safety programs should be instituted to prevent foodborne illnesses

and food contamination starting at field level throughout the whole production and post-

harvest handling processes from farm to consumers’ table. This manual is necessary for all

agricultural operations. Self-audits should be conducted on a regular basis to determine

whether a farm meets individual, government, and/or international GAP standards.

For sesame production, this manual displays a set of recommendations that can help improve

the quality and safety of the produce grown. The purpose of the manual being therefore to

provide farmers/producers and marketers, and middlemen with the requisite knowledge and

skills, strengthening the productivity, improving competitiveness, supply identified market

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outlets with good quality product and thus enhance the income and thereby well-being of

farmers/producers.

The current guide prepared under the STDF Project #172 for sesame production and post-

harvest handling is conceived to serve as a manual and reference for farmers, and sesame

producers. It has been designed in a way that extension agents, trainers and other interested

users would also find it beneficial.

Chapter 1 - Economic Importance of Sesame

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1. Economic Importance of Sesame

Chapter 1 - Economic Importance of Sesame

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1.1. Production

Global production of sesame seed is

estimated by FAO at 3.3 million metric

tons (MT) per year (2006) having risen

from 1.4 MT in the early 1960s. The

largest producers are China and India,

each with an annual harvest of around

750,000 MT followed by Myanmar

(425,000 MT) and Sudan (300,000 MT).

Photo: B. Doko

Sesame has important agricultural attributes: it is adapted to tropical and temperate

conditions, grows well on stored soil moisture with minimal irrigation or rainfall can

produce good yields under high temperatures, and its grain has a high value (Mal

Bennett).

Of an estimated 3.5 million hectares of land available for the crop, only about 335,000 ha

are currently used for sesame, suggesting a vast potential for increased production of the

crop in Nigeria.

Sesame Production Areas in Nigeria:

 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 quality type of Sesame produced in Nigeria

 There are 2 types of sesame produced in Nigeria:

 white/raw, food-grade sesame used in the bakery industry, and

 brown/mixed, primarily oil-grade sesame.

 The white (food grade) seed is grown around the towns of Keffi, Lafia, Doma, in

Nassarawa state, Taraba state, and Makurdi in Benue state.

Chapter 1 - Economic Importance of Sesame

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 The brown/mixed seed grows in the North, in Kano state and in Jigawa state around

Hadejia, and somewhat in the Southern part of Katsina State.

1.2. Utilisation

Sesame, Sesamum indicum L., is an ancient oil crop supplying seeds for confectionery

purposes, edible oil, paste (tahini), cake and flour. It is typically a crop of small farmers in

the developing countries. The taste of sesame differs among varieties, and can be

negatively affected by poor post-harvest processing and storage.

Part of the attraction of sesame for baking is undoubtedly its high fat (50% oil) and high

protein content (up to 25% protein by weight). Sesame oil carries a premium relative to

other cooking oils and is considered more stable than most vegetable oils due to

antioxidants in the oil. The antioxidants inhibit the development of rancidity in the oil. In

the food industry, where synthetic antioxidants are used extensively, there is an

increasing demand for more natural products.

Sesame is commercialized in a number of forms. Most sesame is processed directly into

oil but can also be sold at various stages of processing, for various uses, such as meal,

paste, confections, and bakery products (Fig. 1). In Nigeria, sesame is grown for its seed,

and the primary use of the sesame seed is as a source of oil for cooking. It is also

common to find roasted sesame seeds sold (either sole or with groundnuts) and eaten as

snack among rural and urban dwellers across Nigeria.

With the growing demand for organically grown food there is a market for sesame

products produced under organic conditions. During sesame seed extraction process, the

remaining meal, e.g. extraction by-products is a high protein material suitable for feeding

to livestock. Although at this time sesame oil is used almost exclusively for human food

consumption, it has potential for a variety of industrial uses, as do most vegetable oils.

The young leaves may also be eaten in stews, and the dried stems may be burnt as fuel

with the ash used for local soap making.

Chapter 1 - Economic Importance of Sesame

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Oil

Biscuits

Bun

Fig. 1: Illustration of some uses of sesame

Source: USAID-MARKETS (2009)

.

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1.3. Markets and Economics

In 1993, the world trade in sesame seed was 486,000 t. Japan was the largest importer

taking 24% of the world imports. The second largest importer was the USA with 8% of

world imports. It is forecast that the imports of sesame seed will grow at between 6 and

8% per annum until the year 2012.

In Nigeria, Sesame is an important

export crop and the country has a

substantial role in the global sesame

trade. Annual exports of sesame from

Nigeria are valued at about US$20

million and Nigeria is the primary

supplier of sesame seed to the world’s

largest importer, Japan.

Photo: B. Doko

In response to the growing export market demand, Nigeria’s production of the crop has

consistently increased from about 15,000 MT in 1980, to about 100,000 MT in 2006.

Most sesame exported from Nigeria is in primary form. Over 70% of its export is handled

by 4 major export companies: Olam Nigeria, Akkay Limited, Dangote and Dantata. The

Sesame (or beniseed) is an oil seed grown predominantly as an export crop. Annual

export from Nigeria is estimated at about US$ 20 million with potential of increasing

tenfold. Global exports of sesame seed are estimated to have reached 675,000 MT in

2000, having risen from 427,000 MT in 1988. India is now the single largest exporter of

sesame seed, with exports of some 180,000 MT, with Sudan in second position, exporting

over 138,000 MT per year (USAID-MARKETS, 2009).

However, in the fields of sesame production, and post-harvest handling business,

producers, mainly smallholder farmers are facing strong constraints and challenges to

achieve significant increases in their incomes owing to factors including among others,

poor knowledge good agricultural practices, and inadequate technical support from local

extension services, and the poorly developed market opportunities.

Chapter 2 – Agricultural Practices: Pre-Season Activities

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2. Agricultural Practices: Pre-Season Activities

Chapter 2 – Agricultural Practices: Pre-Season Activities

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2.1. Site Selection, Seed Variety Selection and Seed Sources

Site selection,

Sesame is adaptable to many types of soil but it does best on well-drained soils. The crop

is usually produced on upland plains while depressions and valleys with poorer drained

soils are generally unsuitable.

It does reasonably well on poor soils; sandy loams are preferred. Once established, it can

tolerate short periods of drought, but is very intolerant of water logging. It has poor

ability to compete with weeds in the early stages.

Tips in selecting appropriate sites include:

 select land that is fairly flat and well drained (not water logged);

 avoid depressions and valley bottoms such as fadamas with poorly

drained soils;

 select land that is fertile and has sandy loam soil free from

concretions;

 sesame can be grown in rotation following yam, sorghum, maize,

groundnuts, cotton, millet, or cowpea;

 it can also be grown as a mixed crop with sorghum, millet, and other

cereals.

Variety Selection and Seed Sources

Seed Selection:

There are many varieties of sesame available from

which farmers can select. The major varieties used are

indicated in table 1. However, the two types of

sesame preferred/produced in Nigeria include:

 the white/raw, food-grade sesame used in the

bakery industry, and

 the brown/mixed, primarily oil-grade sesame.

Photo: B. Doko

The types of sesame seed produced and their growing location in Nigeria are shown in

table 2.

Chapter 2 – Agricultural Practices: Pre-Season Activities

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1. Always choose seeds of the same type and variety.

2. Mixing different seed sources or varieties will result

in uneven height, maturity and seed quality.

Table 1: Basic characteristics of released sesame varieties [by the National Cereals Research

Institute (NCRI), Badeggi, Nigeria]

Sesame Variety

Days to

Maturity

Characteristics of Seed % Oil

content

Potential

yield (kg/ha) color Size

NCRIBEN-01M 102-115 White 3 45 1000

NCRIBEN-02M 102-115 Light brown 3 45 750

NCRIBEN-03M 125-140 White 2 40 600

E8 90 Light brown 3.6 50 1000

Yandev 55 125 Light brown 2.5 45 600

Table 2: the type of sesame seed produced and their growing location in Nigeria

Sesame Quality Grade The Sector of usage

Location

State Place/town

White/raw (food

grade)

bakery industry

Benue state Makurdi

Taraba state

Nassarawa state Keffi, Lafia, Doma

Brown Mixed (oil-

grade)

Oil industry

Kano state

Jigawa state Hadejia

Katsina State

Chapter 2 – Agricultural Practices: Pre-Season Activities

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3. Always choose seeds of the same type and variety.

4. Mixing different seed sources or varieties will result in uneven height,

maturity and seed quality.

 Note: The choice of which variety to grow is rather market demand-driven business. If the

above varieties are not available, make sure to use clean and healthy seeds from a reliable

source.

Seed Requirements

Sowing style

 3-5 kg/ha in furrow sowing, and

 8kg/ha in broadcasting

 Increase the planting rate if the seeds are planted deep, soil moisture is limited, soil

temperature is cool, or the soil is compacted, cloddy, or trashy;

x

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