Uganda earns $10m from export of sesame oil
UGANDA earns $10m annually from 30,000 metric tonnes of sesame oil seed export, an expert has said. Sesame seeds, which contain approximately 50% oil and 25% proteins, are used in baking, making candy and other foods.
By Ronald Kalyango
UGANDA earns $10m annually from 30,000 metric tonnes of sesame oil seed export, an expert has said. Sesame seeds, which contain approximately 50% oil and 25% proteins, are used in baking, making candy and other foods.
In addition, foods fried in sesame oil have a long shelf life because the oil contains an antioxidant called sesamol.
The oil can also be used in the manufacture of soaps, paints, perfumes, pharmaceuticals and insecticides. Sesame meal, left after the oil is pressed from the seed, is an excellent high-protein (up to 50%) feed for poultry and livestock.
John Ariko, a consultant and development worker linked to Nile pro trust, a company that promotes oil production in West Nile, said potential earnings can rise to $100m if the cultivated area is increased to 750,000 acres.
Ariko, who is also a lecturer at the Makerere University Business School, was presenting a paper titled ‘The background of research and development of oil seeds in Uganda’ during a workshop held at the department of food science at Makerere University recently.
The workshop was held under the theme: Enhancing the competitiveness of the vegetable oils sub-sector through innovation, research and development.
“Current earnings from sesame are estimated at $10m, but if the potential of $100m can be realised, that will be significant to the poverty eradication campaign,†Ariko said.
He noted that although Uganda had a comparative advantage to develop sesame as a strategic export enterprise, only 50% of the world demand is met annually.
Ariko also noted that the milling capacity of sunflower and soybeans had grown to 1,500 metric tonnes per day with mills currently operating at 40% capacity.
He said in all cases, support to the sector can significantly result into job creation at all levels of the value chain, and increase farm earnings through increased profitability.
There are also positive impacts on the national economic growth and government’s ability to deliver social services.
He praised scientists for releasing several new oil varieties since 2002, leading to a growth in milling capacity of 34 mills for edible oil by 2009.
Initially, he said, edible oil imports into Uganda were in the range of $80,000 annually but current figures show a 35% drop.
He, however, noted that policy makers favour traditional cash crops like cotton and coffee at the expense of other crops.
“A policy on edible oil import substitution did not have a major component to support research, which caused a gap between the supply end of the value chain and the market end,†said Ariko.
The private sector actors have also not been encouraged to participate in research and development and the failure to revive a national seed programme has had implications on availability and access to the new technologies farm level.
Dorothy Nakimbugwe, a senior lecturer at the food science department at the the Makerere University Business School, pleaded to the Government to invest in strategic research instead of depending on donors.
“Donor-funded research comes with conditions and yet strategic research is supposed to be sustained until solutions are got,†said Nakimbugwe.
Jeanette de Regt, the country director of the Netherlands Development Organisation, noted that the money from the Dutch government invested in the oil seed sub-sector has always been well spent and there were clear results.
UGANDA earns $10m annually from 30,000 metric tonnes of sesame oil seed export, an expert has said. Sesame seeds, which contain approximately 50% oil and 25% proteins, are used in baking, making candy and other foods.
In addition, foods fried in sesame oil have a long shelf life because the oil contains an antioxidant called sesamol.
The oil can also be used in the manufacture of soaps, paints, perfumes, pharmaceuticals and insecticides. Sesame meal, left after the oil is pressed from the seed, is an excellent high-protein (up to 50%) feed for poultry and livestock.
John Ariko, a consultant and development worker linked to Nile pro trust, a company that promotes oil production in West Nile, said potential earnings can rise to $100m if the cultivated area is increased to 750,000 acres.
Ariko, who is also a lecturer at the Makerere University Business School, was presenting a paper titled ‘The background of research and development of oil seeds in Uganda’ during a workshop held at the department of food science at Makerere University recently.
The workshop was held under the theme: Enhancing the competitiveness of the vegetable oils sub-sector through innovation, research and development.
“Current earnings from sesame are estimated at $10m, but if the potential of $100m can be realised, that will be significant to the poverty eradication campaign,†Ariko said.
He noted that although Uganda had a comparative advantage to develop sesame as a strategic export enterprise, only 50% of the world demand is met annually.
Ariko also noted that the milling capacity of sunflower and soybeans had grown to 1,500 metric tonnes per day with mills currently operating at 40% capacity.
He said in all cases, support to the sector can significantly result into job creation at all levels of the value chain, and increase farm earnings through increased profitability.
There are also positive impacts on the national economic growth and government’s ability to deliver social services.
He praised scientists for releasing several new oil varieties since 2002, leading to a growth in milling capacity of 34 mills for edible oil by 2009.
Initially, he said, edible oil imports into Uganda were in the range of $80,000 annually but current figures show a 35% drop.
He, however, noted that policy makers favour traditional cash crops like cotton and coffee at the expense of other crops.
“A policy on edible oil import substitution did not have a major component to support research, which caused a gap between the supply end of the value chain and the market end,†said Ariko.
The private sector actors have also not been encouraged to participate in research and development and the failure to revive a national seed programme has had implications on availability and access to the new technologies farm level.
Dorothy Nakimbugwe, a senior lecturer at the food science department at the the Makerere University Business School, pleaded to the Government to invest in strategic research instead of depending on donors.
“Donor-funded research comes with conditions and yet strategic research is supposed to be sustained until solutions are got,†said Nakimbugwe.
Jeanette de Regt, the country director of the Netherlands Development Organisation, noted that the money from the Dutch government invested in the oil seed sub-sector has always been well spent and there were clear results.