Jun 17, 2024
Brazilian Sesame Production Increasing Especially in Mato Grosso
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
One of the newer crops in Brazil is sesame production. Conab is estimating that Brazil will produce 292,700 tons of sesame during the 2023/24 growing season, which is up 68% compared to 2022/23. Brazil planted 585,500 hectares of sesame in 2023/24 (1.44 million acres), which was up 62% compared to the prior year with an average yield of 500 kg/ha (approximately 450 lbs/ac).
Sesame is generally planted as a second crop after a first crop of soybeans has been harvested and Mato Grosso is the largest sesame producing state in Brazil with an estimated production of 191,000 tons, or 66% of Brazil's total production. The municipality of Canarana in eastern Mato Grosso is the largest sesame producing municipality in the state responsible for 41.8% of the state's production.
According to the vice president of Eastern Aprosoja/MT, Canarana is considered the capital of sesame production in Brazil because its soils and climate are conducive for sesame production. The municipality also lies at a lower elevation which favors sesame production.
Sesame is considered an attractive alternative to safrinha corn in the state especially when corn prices are low.