Export Product Profile: Sesame Seed

Description: Sesame seeds (or sesamum or benniseed) are the seeds of the tropical annual Sesamum indicum. The species has a long history of cultivation, mostly for its yield of oil. The original area of domestication of sesame is obscure but it seems likely to have first been brought into cultivation in Asia or India. The plant is usually 60 to 120cm tall and the fruit is a dehiscent capsule held close to the stem. When ripe, the capsule shatters to release a number of small seeds. The seeds are protected by a fibrous ‘hull’ or skin, which may be whitish to brown or black depending on the variety. 1000 seeds weigh some 4-8g. The seeds have a high oil content of 44-60%.

Harvest: Harvesting begins in late December and continues through July. Each producing area stated in the next section below (Locations) has only one season.

Locations: The major producing areas in order of priority are Nasarawa, Jigawa and Benue States. Other important areas of production are found in Yobe, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Gombe and Plateau States. The major marketing centers (towns and states) of sesame seeds in Nigeria are in the table below.

            

Town	State
Doma	Nasarawa
Malam-Madori	Jigawa
Potiskum	Yobe
Oturkpo	Benue
Dawanau	Kano

Types/Varieties: There are 2 types of sesame produced in Nigeria

1. White/raw = Food-grade used in bakery industry. 98-100% whitest grade seeds.

2. Brown/mixed = primarily oil-grade.

The White (Food Grade) seed is grown around the towns of Keffi, Lafia/Makurdi, Doma, and in Nassarawa, Taraba, and Benue States. It is easier to sort and the Fumani/Denin people consume sesame locally. The Brown/mixed grows in the North, in Kano State and in Jigawa State near Hadejia, and somewhat in the southern part of Katsina State.

Specifications

Features	% percentage
Oil content	45-60% min
Impurities	0-2%max
Free fatty acid (FFA)	1-2%max
Moisture content	6-9% max

Uses: Most sesame is processed directly into oil by the grower or within the producing region, but can also be sold in various stages of processing, for various uses, such as meal, paste, confections, and bakery products.

Input	Products	Description and Uses
Seeds	Confectionery	Fried seeds may be bound together with sugar syrup to give sweetmeats.
Seeds	Biscuits	The whole seeds can be baked into biscuits.
(Hulled) seeds	Bakery	Popular in northern Europe either incorporated into breads or as decorative toppings. May be used hulled or whole.
Seeds, sometimes roasted	Oil	Particularly used in oriental cuisine. The flavor is quite strong and rarely compatible with traditional Western style cooking but also used as a salad oil.
Oil	Medicinal treatment	Ulcers and burns
Oil	Margarine	Once an important use, now other cheaper vegetable oils are available
Oil	Aerosol	Reported use as a synergist for pyrethrum sprays
Low grade oil	Various	Soaps paints, lubricants, and illuminants. Local uses, of no importance in international trade
Hulled seeds	Tahini	A paste of sesame seeds which is used as an ingredient in eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods
Tahini	Dips &spreads	Various ingredients, such as chickpeas or eggplants, are added to Tahini to make dips and spreads such as hummus
Tahini	Halva	A sweet made from Tahini and sugar with other added flavorings
Cake	Animal feed	Protein rich useful supplement
Cake from hulled seeds	Ingredient	Used in some Indian cooking. Also as a snack in, for example, the Nigerian Kulikuli

Export market: The major importer of sesame seeds in the world is Japan while the major consuming markets in the EU are Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. In the past, the bulk of sesame was imported from China. Increasingly, other sources such as India, Sudan and, most recently, Pakistan, are taking the market share. The USA is the fifth largest import market with a steady demand for over 50,000 tonnes per year.

Export Price: The export free on board price of sesame seed varies from USD 1200 -1600/MT depending on the type and form of the sesame seed and the negotiation made with the buyers.

Local price: local price per metric tonne MT of sesame seed varies from NGN140,000.00 to about NGN160,000.00 in Kano. However local price when delivered EXW Lagos (delivered in Lagos) could range from NGN 165,000 – 175,000.00.

Agric Commodities Harvest Seasons

SHOCKER: Customs says PAAR is not a final document

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has identified dishonest attitude of importers who under-declare their imports in a bid to short change the government as one of the reasons why the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) is not a final document for clearance of goods at the port.

The Service also stated that lack of technical know- how of some officers is another a contributing factor.

Recently, there have been controversies among clearing agents and freight forwarders on whether PAAR is a final or advisory document required for customs clearance of goods at the ports.

According to the agents, given the current trend of incessant querying of PAAR by officers, PAAR cannot be a final document as claimed by the Customs Comptroller General of the NCS, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi, when it was conceptualised and introduced in December 2013.

The agents argue that since the PAAR document emanates from Customs, it ought to be a final document unlike the Risk Assessment Report (RAR) that was issued and generated by the former service providers as an advisory document to NCS.

Speaking with SHIPS & PORTS DAILY last weekend, Customs spokesman, Wale Adeniyi explained that PAAR ought to be a final document but due to errors which according to him could emanate from an officer or an importer, it has become an advisory document.

He said that just as importers have the right to appeal when they feel an item has been overvalued so also do officers have the right to query PAAR.

“How final is the PAAR document if an importer can come back and tell us he has been over-valued and we listen to him? It becomes semi-final because it means they now have to adjust it.

“We have also seen instances where officers look at PAAR and feel that based on physical examination, the figures quoted were not accurate and they would do amendment. It is both ways, people should not just talk about one way because that is the angle with which they want to look at PAAR. I believe that it is a final document but there are times that even in these final documents there are errors.

“On the basis of evidence from the importer, there could be amendment in PAAR. It could happen from an officer taking initiative, it could also happen from an importer taking initiative,” Adeniyi stated.

Also speaking, Public Relation Officers of the Tin Can Island Port Command, Chris Osunkwo said PAAR is advisory because importers and their agents have failed to embrace honest declaration.

He said officers at the PAAR ruling center only work on facts presented by the importer on his document but noted that not all facts presented by the importers are accurate.

“Practically PAAR is advisory because the officers that are churning out this PAAR rely on the document submitted by the applicant. Destination Inspection is all about seeing and assessing. If for instance, you say you imported techno phones and down here the officer opens the container and sees Samsung phones, has PAAR become advisory or sacrosanct?

“PAAR is meant for integrity driven business climes not for business climes like ours where somebody will tell you he has calculators but when you open the container you find air conditioners, would you say PAAR is sacrosanct, meaning you don’t have to query it?” he queried.

http://shipsandports.com.ng/shocker-customs-says-paar-is-not-a-final-document/

Export Product Profile: Cashew

Description: Cashew (Anacardium Occidentale L.) is a tree crop of considerable economic importance to Nigeria and other tropical countries. Apart from being a source of useful products and byproducts for food, medicinal and industrial applications, cashew gives also a useful shade, while ornamental and alley trees are suitable for the control of soil erosion, particularly for the protection of watersheds and dams. 

Harvest: Cashew nut setting begins in the middle of dry season, while harvesting takes place mainly in February or March. The entire harvest period occupies about 16 weeks. In the Eastern and Western parts of the country, where quality cashew nuts are grown, nuts are allowed to drop to the ground before they are collected. This practice ensures that only ripe nuts are collected. Nuts normally fall to the ground with their apples attached; the two are normally separated with a twisting action during collection. The remnants of the apple flash adhering to the nuts are removed with a sharp knife. After picking, the nuts are dried in the sun for 2 to 3 days, to reduce their moisture content to about 12 %. Properly dried nuts are packed in jute bags and can be kept for 6 to 10 months, if stored in suitable condition. 

Locations: Major cashew growing areas in Nigeria are, by order of importance: Enugu, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and Cross River States in the eastern part of the country; Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun States in the Western part, as well as Kwara, Kogi, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Niger and FCT in the Middle Belt and also Sokoto and Kebbi States in the North West part of the country. The majority of export quality nuts come from the Western and Eastern parts of the country. 

Specification: According to SGS (quality inspectors), the standard for raw cashew nuts, unshelled, is specified as follows:

i. Nut count 180-200 per kg

ii. Moisture content 8-10% max

iii. Defective nuts 15% max

iv. Float Rate 18% max

v. Admixture 0.25% max

vi. Foreign matter 0.25% max

vii. KoR, or shelling out-turn 48-50 Ibs/bag

(Obiazu, P. C.,(2000) ‘Quality Requirements for Nigeria Agricultural Products’. Unpublished Seminar Paper.) 

Uses: The cashew nut is a popular snack, and its rich flavor means that it is often eaten on its own, lightly salted or sugared. In addition to this, cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a by-product of processing cashew, is mostly composed of anacardic acids. These acids have been used effectively against tooth abscesses due to their lethality to bacteria. 

Export market: The major buyers of cashew nut from Nigeria are mainly India and Singapore. Smaller percentage goes to Europe. 

Export price: The export free on board (fob) price of raw cashew nut varies from about USD 650-850/MT. However, when an exporter adds value to this product by processing it into kernels, the fob price could quadruple that of raw cashew nut. 

Local price: The local price per metric tonne MT for raw cashew nuts delivered EXW Lagos (delivered in Lagos) varies from NGN60,000.00 during the peak season to about NGN90,000.00 at the off season.

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