Sesame Import Increased in Three Years Regardless of Economic Stagnation

Mintec Global
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Major importing countries like China, Turkey, Japan & the EU have been increasing imports yearly in spite of the currency depreciation.

Unicaps Sunflower seeds

Data suggests that combined imports to China, Japan, Turkey & the EU countries have increased by almost 300k MT which appears to be a CAGR of 13.2%. Having said this, it’s all very detailed and the above simplistic inference can point to an increase in demand.

Year/ImporterChinaJapanTurkey EuropeTotal
20198,12,3871,86,1611,61,1101,29,12012,88,778
202010,16,0672,04,8641,80,8961,32,83515,34,662
202111,74,3291,50,9751,97,0541,28,80716,51,165
CAGR20.23%-9.94%10.59%-0.12%13.19%
Average10,00,9281,80,6671,79,6871,30,25414,91,535

China’s imports of sesame relays on its local crop and the border trade from Myanmar and
Vietnam. The local sesame crop in China has lost acreage to other remunerative crops and schemes by the
Chinese government (direct and indirect subsidy programs). This is one of the biggest reason to China’s
increase in imports. This can be almost 150 000 MT. Another variable is border trade which was
largely unaccounted by trade and was routed through the ports owing to COVID restrictions. In 2021 almost
70 000 MT came to ports. This can be an additional 100-120 000 MT. If we combine the loss of local crop supply
with border trade rerouting to main ports, it is almost similar to the increase in China’s import number.

The right way to look at Japan’s demand estimate is the average over the last three years. The carrying cost for a Japanese importer is less when compared to the volatility in sesame prices. In 2020, when the prices came under pressure, Japan bought good quantity and stocked the sesame. Experts say that there has been some demand increased of sesame oil in Japan, but at the same time last year, edible demand witnessed some downward pressure because of lock-downs.

Turkey is a gateway to Europe. The Mediterranean region’s historical use of sesame remains similar to date. A large part of Turkey’s imports is for re-export. Data Analysts estimate almost 30-35 percent gets exported as Tahini, Hulled, and processed sesame seeds. A part of the gain comes from India’s loss of hulled exports into Europe.

The EU’s demand has been the most stable and so is their buying pattern. Greece remains the major importer with tahini, halwa, and sesame bars in major use.

To sum up, for the foreseeable future the total demand from China, Japan, Turkey, and the EU can be 1.5 million MT or more and will remain key destinations in the sesame world.

Source: Sesame World and ETG