Fintrac Harvest Fall/Winter 2008

Improved practices boost sesame yields

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Many sesame farmers in Ethiopia are unfamiliar with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) such as proper land preparation, crop rotation and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Fintrac’s Agribusiness and Trade Expansion Program (ATEP), however, is rapidly transferring these new technologies to Ethiopian farmers.

Ethiopia has an ideal climate for growing oilseeds and pulses, which include sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and haricot beans, and is a major producer in East Africa of highly valued white sesame, especially in the northern region of Humera.

Although sesame is one of Ethiopia’s major exports, production volumes do not meet demand because of poor yields.

Like many other sesame farmers in Humera, Gebre Yohannes Asgedom used traditional growing methods that left him susceptible to production problems, resulting in low yields and high production costs. In late 2007, his sesame crop was affected by flooding and widespread pest problems.

Many sesame producers were forced to replace crops with sorghum. Those who continued with sesame had yields averaging only 250 kilograms per hectare.

In response to this and other challenges in Humera, Fintrac is showing farmers like Yohannes how to apply GAPs. Fintrac Agronomist Yitbarek Liben provided technical assistance at Yohannes’ 12-hectare farm, which serves as a demonstration site for project trainings.

Yohannes learned how to prepare land to improve soil composition and was introduced to high quality seeds, proper planting and spacing techniques, weeding techniques and IPM. The result was a substantial increase in yields: 420 kilograms per hectare, 50 percent higher than the previous season, and 170 kilograms per hectare higher than average sesame yields in Humera.

Moreover, the application of GAPs including proper land preparation, weeding and use of quality seeds lowered his production costs from $548 per hectare ($6,576) to $361 ($4,332), a 34 percent drop.

“My business is now profitable and I am planning to expand my farm,” Yohannes said.

Fintrac’s ATEP program is an aggressive, market-led effort designed to energize four Ethiopian industry sectors – coffee; hides, skins and leather; oilseeds and pulses; and horticulture. The project is dramatically improving competitiveness and productivity for thousands of farmers, processors and traders resulting in increased exports, investment, employment and incomes. The USAID-funded project is scheduled to end in April 2011.