The family sesame producers in Mavago district, Niassa province, have collected about six million meticais corresponding to the sale of 120 tons of sesame, since the beginning of the commercialization of last season’s surplus, last March.
Practiced intensively in the administrative post of M’Sawize, the producers estimate that the commercialization of about 402 tons of this oilseed crop will yield, by the end of August, a total of 16 million meticais.
According to the Notícias publication, 5500 producers from the family sector were involved in the production of sesame, the main raw material for the national food and poultry oil industries.
Initial projections are for revenue collection of around 16 million meticais, a million less when compared to the levels collected in the last marketing year.
At the moment, some sesame producers are still in the harvesting process. The incidence of pests and diseases, as well as the entry of some animals in the fields, such as eland, have affected part of the oilseed fields.
Saide Moemede, head of the M’Sawize administrative post, who disclosed the information, assured that neither the irregular rain, nor the plagues, nor the diseases, nor the elands, which devastated part of the sesame fields, affected the plan to produce around 450 tons against 395 tons in the same previous period.
He also mentioned that, to achieve the success in the current agricultural marketing campaign, particularly in sesame culture, 11 actors were mobilized against seven in the same period last year.
The leader highlighted the agricultural fairs held in rural areas and the purchase price currently estimated at 80 meticais per kilogram as being one of the factors that have been contributing to the success of sesame commercialization.
“With this amount the producers are able to pay for services and necessary goods, a fact that is galvanizing local development,” said Saide Moemede, adding that the price of sesame has been a stimulus for the increase of production and agricultural productivity in that part of the province.
