SESAME SEED SCENARIO IN INDIA

Production and Market of sesame seed in India

India had been a dominant and one of the oldest producers of sesame in the world. Sesame seed provides a traditional source of oil for many communities in India. The country produces around 680000 metric tons of sesame seed annually and stands at the second place in terms of production. The country also ranks 1st in the context of the area covered under the cultivation of the crop. The states, Gujarat and West Bengal account for the maximum production in the country producing 2 lakh tons sesame seeds every year. The list of all the major sesame-producing states in India is shown below

• Gujarat
• West Bengal
• Rajasthan
• Tamil Nadu
• Orissa
• Madhya Pradesh
• Andhra Pradesh
• Maharashtra
• Uttar Pradesh
• Punjab
• Karnataka

India produces a wide variety of sesame seeds differing in colors, size, oil content etc. the eastern part of the country generally produces seeds of inferior quality in colors like red and black. But the western part of the country produces a much superior quality sesame seeds mostly white in color. The production figure of sesame in the country is a highly variable figure as the production is largely dependent on the monsoon and the rainfall level.

Indian market

The sesame plant owes its origin to the Indian subcontinent and that’s why the crop has a vital link with the country. The uses that the crop offers were spread through out the world from India only. Various Hindu legends tell about how the seeds were used as flavouring agents and as a source of oil in the ancient time. The weather conditions in India also suit the crop and that is why the country is one of the largest producers of sesame. The country is positioned at the second place in the list of largest sesame seed producing countries. India’s annual average production hovers around 680000 metric tons contributing around 22% in the world’s total production. Gujarat and West Bengal are the major producers. In context of consumption of the crop, India again is one of the major sesame consuming countries of the world having sesame oil consumption figures 1.6 lakh metric tons in 2004-05.

In the world market for sesame, India has a reputation of being a net exporter. The country is one of the largest exporters of sesame exporting around 5.4 lakh metric tons sesame annually. As the production in India is sufficient to satisfy the domestic consumption demand, the left over sesame i.e. around 25% of the total production is exported to various importing nations of the world. The countries that forms part of the market for Indian sesame are

• Germany
• Turkey
• Netherlands
• United States of America
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Israel
• China
• United Kingdom
• United Arab Emirates

In India the seeds are valued on the basis of their colour. The seeds having whitish colour are considered to be of good quality and having high oil content and the seeds of different colour are considered to be of inferior quality.

The major trading centre in India where sesame seed is traded is the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The major states where sesame seed oil is traded are Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Sesame seed is traded in the Indian Commodity exchanges namely

11.      Multi Commodity Exchange of India ltd

22.   National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange ltd

33.     National Multi Commodity Exchange of India ltd.