Sesame is a money spinning crop

“I felt I was in heaven. That was the first time in my life to handle such amount of money. I never saw even half of that sum before. It was like the whole world was inside my pocket.” Tailer shared his experience with this reporter recently, saying he is one of the few farmers […]

“I felt I was in heaven. That was the first time in my life to handle such amount of money. I never saw even half of that sum before. It was like the whole world was inside my pocket.”
Tailer shared his experience with this reporter recently, saying he is one of the few farmers who are exploring the cultivation of crops that were hitherto ignored by many farmers across the country.
“But you know many people don’t really think the crop can give you such income. They are more concerned about rice, beans, yams, cassava and others. The wise ones are now given the crop attention.”
Joseph Danladi who farms rice, groundnut and sesame in Keffi explained that the crop is marketable and fetches good money, adding that it is one of the easiest crops to cultivate.
Danladi noted: “The crop needs little rain and disease or pests hardly affect it. Once planted on fertile ground, it grows faster than weeds and in less than three months, it is ready for harvesting.”
The crop is also demanded by many cosmetics manufacturing industries, which is why it is sought after by many buyers in the country, an Abuja-based agriculturist from Plateau State, James Bitrus, stressed while explaining the many uses of the product.
A part from being a valuable crop for making soup, it is also easy to cultivate, harvest and sell by farmers.
Largely cultivated in the North, the crop is now attracting the attention of many farmers seeking to make good incomes from farming.
“We encourage farmers to explore the virtues of sesame as one crop which can easily put a lot of money into the pockets of farmers,” Bitrus enthused.