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Sesame seeds: no danger of delivery delays

April 22, 2020 at 3:41 PM , Der AUDITOR
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NEW DELHI. Agriculture and food exports are among the few activities that are exempt from the curfew in India. Drastic delivery delays for sesame seeds are not to be expected for the time being.

Shipments to Europe take no longer than usual

Although traders in India would have wished otherwise, neither the tender nor the possibility to continue exporting have prompted an opportunity to demand higher prices this week. Reports state that the tender from South Korea over 6,000 metric tonnes was exclusively awarded to exporters in India. The expected surge in demand has, however, so far failed to materialise and the supply shortage is also limited. Although the local trade markets, the so-called "mandis", remain closed due to the pandemic, farmers are now directly delivering raw seeds to producers and processors instead. Exporters in India explain that it now takes around 45 days from signing the contract to arrival in a European port, which is no longer than usual.

Sesame seeds, India

Type

USD/mt

Hulled, 99.95%

1,740

Natural

1,550

CIF Hamburg

EU imports up 3.7%

A total of 132,416 metric tonnes of sesame seeds were shipped to the EU from third-party countries in 2019, around 3.7% more than in 2018. India remains the most important supplier by far with shipments ranging at 63,550 metric tonnes. Volume have, however, nominally declined over the last few years. Shipments from Nigeria and from Sudan recorded are nominally up. Shipments from Uganda and Pakistan have, by contrast, doubled.

EU sesame seed imports, in mt

Country

2018

2019

Diff.

India

64,319

63,551

-1.2%

Nigeria

18,444

18,858

2.2%

Sudan

13,822

14,212

2.8%

Uganda

2,256

4,800

112.8%

Ethiopia

6,830

4,652

-31.9%

Guatemala

4,133

4,616

11.7%

Pakistan

1,237

2,632

112.8%

Mozambique

2,509

2,531

0.9%

Burkina Faso

752

2,324

209.0%

Turkey

2,360

1,953

-17.2%

Others

11,068

12,287

11.0%

Total

127,730

132,416

3.7%

Eurostat, 12074090 Sesamum seeds, whether or not broken (excl. for sowing)

 

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price chart, sesame seeds, hulled, mechanically dried, 99.95%
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