Ethiopia's favorable landscape for sesame cultivation

Sesame, the most ancient oil crop adapted to tropics and sub-tropics around the world, is one of the major commercial grain crops agricultural products of Ethiopia. Among the different oil crops, sesame is the second most important agricultural commodity next to coffee in foreign exchange earning to more than 449 USD million. Sesame grows in Tigray, Amhara, Gambella, Benshangul Gumuz, Somalia, SNNP and Oromia regions in Ethiopia. However, productivity of sesame is very low due to several reasons. Traditional production technology, weeds, insect pests and diseases, climate change impacts, domestic and global market fluctuations and low research and expert knowledge and skill, are among the major challenges for sesame production in Ethiopia. On the contrary, vast area for sesame cultivation, irrigable area, low labor, government initiation in support of the commodity and varietal diversity are the production opportunities for production of sesame in Ethiopia. Hence; the national ...