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Sesame seeds: acreage in Gujarat to triple

July 30, 2020 at 2:20 PM , Der AUDITOR
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NEW DELHI. Although sesame seed prices have reached their lowest level in more than two years, farmers in Gujarat are planning to massively increase the area under cultivation this summer.

Indian farmers go full throttle

For their autumn crop, Indian farmers usually prefer plants that are inexpensive to cultivate and care for and that mature quickly. Since sesame seeds can be harvested after 90-100 days under normal conditions, sesame is a good choice. Gujarat plays an important role in traditional Indian sesame cultivation, especially in the summer crop, which is sown in spring. The area under cultivation for the main crop was significantly smaller in the last two years than it is estimated for this year. So far 119,000 ha have been sown, last year at this time it was only 39,000 ha. Farmers in the main growing region of Madhya Pradesh also put in a good performance and by the end of last week had planted more than 240,000 ha (+90,000 ha compared to last year), while the acreage in Uttar Pradesh was only 151,200 ha (-50%). In Rajasthan 177,000 ha had been sown up to this point in time, a total of 350,000 ha (+70,000 ha compared to last year) is planned.

Crop prospects keep prices down

With these crop prospects and the current global situation, a price increase in the Indian sesame seed market is currently hardly feasible and prices remain at the low level of recent weeks. However, buyers should keep an eye on the market, as it has already been shown in previous years that a potentially good crop can turn into a bad one if the weather does not play along.

Sesame seeds, India

Type

USD/mt

Hulled, 99.95%

1,560

Natural, 99.95%

1,320

Black, 99.95%

2,090

CIF Hamburg

View more information
- price chart, sesame seeds, hulled, mechanically dried, 99.95%, India
- price chart, sesame seeds, unhulled, 99.95%, India
- more price charts

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price chart sesame seeds, hulled, mechanically dried
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price chart sesame seeds, natural

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