Sesame project generates income for farmers in north
The introduction of the cultivation of Sesame as a cash crop in northern Ghana three years ago by SNV, a Netherlands Development Organisation, is yielding positive results in the project areas.
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The crop was introduced to reduce rural poverty, generate employment and increase incomes of farmers.
The project, which began with 1,000 acres in 2013 in two districts, has now increased to over 12,000 acres in seven districts. The districts are Chereponi, West and East Mamprusi, Saboba, Gushiegu, and Kasena Nankana West and East in the Northern and Upper East Regions.
Also, from less than 200 tonnes in 2013, total yields have increased to 5,000 tonnes in 2015 and tripled the incomes of farmers within the period.
The SNV Sesame Project Coordinator, Mr Issahaku Zakaria, made this known at the 2015 Sesame Farmers Field Day celebration held at Zangum Vuga in the West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region last Thursday. It had the theme "Improving Livelihoods and Linking Farmers to Sustainable Markets".
Income generated from Sesame
Mr Zakaria said in 2014, the total income generated by farmers from Sesame was GH¢3million, and that figure was expected to increase in 2015. He attributed the success story to the adoption of good agronomic practices by the farmers.
"When the project started, many were sceptical about its success but within a period of three years we have seen the progress. Now farmers cannot even meet the demand by both local and international markets for Sesame" he stated.
Mr Zakaria commended all who took part in the initiative, especially farmers, and the Produce Buying Companies for providing ready markets for the produce of the farmers.
He called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the District Assemblies in the project areas to champion the promotion of the crop and support rural women, who are into Sesame processing with funds to expand their operations.
The nutritional benefits of Sesame
A lecturer at the Department of Horticulture of the University for Development Studies (UDS), a partner institution for the project, Dr Abdul-Halim Abubakari said Sesame played an important role in human nutrition, adding that in many parts of Africa, the sesame seeds had several culinary uses.
He said the sesame seeds could be processed into oil, powder or paste for cooking and also be used as a snack.
The antioxidant benefits in sesame, he added, prevents aging, and is vital for the production of liver cells.
Besides the nutritional benefits, Dr Abubakari said sesame was a very good cash crop that could provide an opportunity for many smallholder farmers, especially women, to improve on their income levels.
Views of farmers and processors
Some of the farmers and processors, majority of whom were women said the project had impacted positively on their livelihoods as it has increased their incomes. They however, appealed for the government’s support to enable them to increase their production to enhance their incomes.
"Sesame holds the key to the reduction of rural poverty, and increasing the incomes of farmers when given the needed attention and support as been done for other cash crops such as cocoa in the country", the farmers noted.
Buyers
One of the leading buyers of Sesame, OLAM Ghana Limited noted that sesame had the potential to earn more foreign exchange for Ghana like cocoa, when given the needed boost and attention since the world market demand for Sesame continued to increase.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for West Mamprusi, Mr David Wuni, pledged the support of the assembly to the project and commended SNV for complementing the efforts of the assembly to reduce poverty in the area.