The sesame trade has been rocked by the militarized conflict in the country's north, particularly in the Amhara and Tigray regional states, which account for 90pc of total sesame production. The war has exacerbated a decline in revenues from sesame exports, dropping by almost 115 million dollars last year from 450 million dollars five years ago. Sesame was the second-most valuable agricultural commodity next to coffee, earning the country the highest export revenues.
Industry players attribute the dwindling earnings to price volatility in the global market, currency fluctuations and a fall in productivity, the latter due to the ongoing war.
Two years ago, 309,000 smallholder farmers harvested 3.6 million quintals of sesame cultivated on 369,000hct of land, mainly in the western regions of Tigray Regional State, including Humera and Welqayit, and in central and west Gonder of the Amhara Regional State. The war has had a devastating effect on agricultural productivity, although data from the Tigray Regional State is hard to come by. However, the Amhara Regional State officials say the fighting has left close to 300,000hct of land unploughed this year.
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