Nigeria's Sesame Season: Harvest Calendar, Producing States and When to Buy
Nigeria harvests sesame once a year, and when you buy within that cycle affects price, availability and quality. A practical calendar for planning purchases from Nigeria.
Nigeria is one of the world's largest sesame producers and Africa's leading exporter alongside Sudan. Sesame — known locally as beniseed or ridi — is grown by smallholders across the savanna belt, and nearly all of it is exported. Knowing the production calendar helps you time contracts and understand why offers change through the year.
Where Nigerian sesame is grown
Two broad zones supply the export trade:
- Middle Belt (whitish food-grade seed): Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau, Kogi and Niger. This is the source of the "Benue type" natural white sesame prized by food buyers.
- Far North (brown / mixed, high-oil seed): Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno and Kebbi. Jigawa and Kano are among the highest-volume producers, supplying the crushing market.
The production cycle
| Period | What is happening | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| May – July | Planting with the onset of rains | Crop outlook forms; old-crop stocks at their lowest and most expensive |
| August – September | Flowering and capsule development | Weather watch — rainfall now decides yield |
| October – December | Harvest, stooking, drying and threshing | First new-crop offers from November; moisture of early arrivals needs checking |
| December – February | Peak arrivals at aggregators and exporters | Best availability, widest choice of grades, typically softest prices |
| March – April | Arrivals slow; exporters ship contracted volumes | Good quality still available; book before stocks tighten |
| May onward | Old-crop stocks drawn down | Prices firm; confirm physical availability before contracting |
Practical advice
- Contract early for white seed. Japanese and premium buyers commit to the best Benue-type lots ahead of or at harvest.
- Check moisture on early new crop. Seed shipped in November and December must be properly dried; insist on the moisture limit and a loading test.
- Plan EU testing time. Laboratory analysis for Salmonella and residues adds days before loading; build it into the schedule.
- Use the season for programmes. Crushers can lock tonnage from December to April for staggered shipment, smoothing both price and supply.
Whatever the month, Renamy Sesame Nigeria will tell you plainly what is physically available, at what specification, and when it can ship. Ask for a quotation for the period you are planning.
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