Posted on March, 15, 2017 at 11:43 am
Ugandans with interest in exporting sesame a high value oil seed- have been challenged to make use of the new standard to avoid rejection at the international market. Sesama is a highly demanded commodity because of its diverse uses; as food in confectionary, paste, cooking oil, perfumery, cosmetics such as skin conditioning agents and moisturizers, hair preparation, bath oils, hand products and make up; pharmaceuticals, insecticides, paints and varnishes.
According to Mr francis Enau, a Uganda National Bureau of standards officer, exporters are required to comply with the standard.” International markets like the European Union require exporters to follow the safety requirements at all stages of production,” Mr Enau said. Experts say that exporters getting certification for having complied with the international standards is a plus to their companies as it gives them mileage and more customers.
Market.
In 2015 the world market size for sesame was valued at $5.04billion ( shs 18.1 Trillion) this is followed by USA, Japan, German, Turkey and south Korea. Uganda managed to fetch $55.1 M (198 B) worth of exports .
Uganda’s ranks number 18 in world exports of the product. “ we only captured 1 per cent of the global market. In effect 99 per cent of market potential is still available,” Ms Noreen Kamoti, Uganda Export Promotion Board officer, shared.
On the continent, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo and Tanzana are ahead of Uganda in supplying this product.
Opportunities
Experts say that there is a strong demand in the major consuming countries because of the continued health eating drivers in a number of developed countries such as oriental cuisine and fast foods.
Sesama has a multiple markets and uses by more than 200 countries. This creates an opportunity Ugandans can exploit,” Ms kamoti said.
Also Uganda exporters enjoy trade benefits with access to eight preferential markets. However, Ms kamoti said that for Ugandans to benefit from these opportunities they have to develop a commercial mindset and move away from the subsistence nature of farming.