Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera
Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
SESAME contractors are mandated to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Agricultural Marketing Authority at the beginning of each season as part of efforts to bring sanity to the industry.
The MoA will outline the contractor’s responsibilities to the authority.
Cited as the Agricultural Marketing Authority (Regulatory Circular on Sesame Inputs Distribution and applicable penalties) Number 4 of 2025, the circular shall apply to all registered sesame contractors with immediate effect.
“Every contractor shall be mandated to use the authority’s central registration system for the onboarding of its farmers,” read the notice.
The notice stated that every contractor shall ensure that they have a valid contract signed between themselves and the farmers, highlighting the contracted hectarage and distributed inputs and should be submitted to the authority on or before December 31.
The authority will impose fines and penalties on those who distribute inputs without a valid contractor agreement with the farmer and authority and those who fail to use AMA’s central registration system for onboarding farmers and fail to produce a valid MoA.
Meanwhile, sesame exports rose 152 percent from US$1,5 million in the first three quarters of 2024 to US$3,8 million in the comparable period this year.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) show the country earned US$1 524 766 from January to September 2024 to US$3 835 891 in the same period this year.
In volume terms, it rose 188 percent from 1,3 million to 3,8 million kilogrammes. The average price however, declined 13 percent from US$1,17 to US$1,02 per kilogramme.
Sesame seeds are used in a variety of ways, primarily as a culinary ingredient to add flavour and texture to dishes, and as a source of nutrients and health benefits.
The seeds can be eaten whole, ground, or roasted and are often used in baking, stir-fries, salads and various other recipes.
Sesame oil is extracted from the seeds and used in cooking and some traditional remedies.
A Danish business delegation, which recently visited the country to explore investment opportunities in food systems, agriculture and clean energy sectors, said Zimbabwe could boost earnings through exporting value-added sesame products.
DanChurchAid country director, Mr Mads Schack Lindegaard, said Denmark produces three times more food than it consumes, with excess value-added for export at high prices.
“The delegation is here to expose Zimbabwe to Danish advanced technology to connect, establish partnerships and create collaborations,” he said.
Mr Lindegaard said Denmark was a ready market for the niche organic sesame produced by Zimbabwe but said the country must stop its export in raw form to get more value.
“What we are trying to do is to set up value addition production in Zimbabwe from Denmark’s advanced value addition industry. This will create more employment opportunities for locals as well as increase capital earnings,” he said.
“As DanChurchAid we can assist farmers to transition into organic farming, which is ironic as traditionally, over 50 years ago, this was the mode of production done.
“We are actually taking a step back to how our grandparents used to farm, and this is what the market wants to pay a premium price,” he said.
He said DanChurchAid was assisting farmers in sesame production in Mbire, Hurungwe, Nyaminyami and was moving into Binga this year, the whole of the Zambezi Valley catchment.
“Currently, we are assisting farmers for the Japanese market, which prefers black sesame while Denmark wants the white type,” he said.
Mr Lindegaard applauded the Government”s move to establish Village Business Units (VBUs), which he said would boost production of high-quality sesame.
Sesame farming grew 238 percent from 18 422 hectares in the 2021/22 season to 62 259 in the 2024/25 season, with production estimated at 20 667 tonnes, according to second-round crop assessment reports.
