Research Article
Determinants of Sesame Market Supply in West Omo and Bench
Sheko Zones, Southwest Ethiopia
Agegnehu Workye Belayneh , Engida Gebere Yesho, and Kusse Haile Gemeyida
Department of Agricultural Economics, Mizan-Tepi University, P.O. Box 260, Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia
Correspondence should be addressed to Agegnehu Workye Belayneh; agegnehuworkye@gmail.com
Received 9 September 2021; Revised 5 January 2022; Accepted 5 April 2022; Published 23 April 2022
Academic Editor: Othmane Merah
Copyright © 2022 Agegnehu Workye Belayneh et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Farmers depend on sesame farming as their major source of income in West Omo and Bench Sheko zones. However, they face
diverse marketing challenges to deliver their product to the market. erefore, the study aimed to investigate the variables that
affect sesame market supply in West Omo and Bench Sheko zones. e study’s data were gathered from primary and secondary
sources. Multistage random sampling was employed to select 270 sample sesame producers. e analysis was done using de-
scriptive statistics as well as econometric models. Multiple regression model results showed that total livestock unit, sesame
farming experience, cooperative membership, family size, land under sesame, annual off-farm income, participation in training,
and distance to the nearest market significantly affected the amount of sesame supplied to the market. e study recommends
strengthening sesame producer cooperative, promoting experience sharing among experienced farmers, improving trans-
portation accessibility and infrastructure development, increasing productivity by fortifying extension service providers, and
encouraging sesame producers to participate actively in various trainings.
1. Introduction
Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is a prominent, hot-season
annual plant resistant to drought and thrives on stored soil
moisture [1]. It is an oil-rich seed crop with enormous
economic value since its seeds contain 46–56% of high-
quality oil, which is prized by the food, chemical, and
pharmaceutical sectors [2]. Sesame is a popular food crop for
providing edible oil and for domestic and foreign markets
[3]. According to FAO [4], global sesame production passed
5.5 million tonnes in 2017, with Africa producing 57% and
Asia producing 40%. Consumption of sesame quickly in-
creases worldwide due to shifting consumer preferences and
increased health consciousness [3]. Sesame seed con-
sumption in the world in 2018 was 6559 million USD, and it
is forecasted to rise to 7245 million USD by 2024, with a
compound annual growth rate of 1.7% [5].
As stated by FAOSTAT [6], Sudan (1,525,104 tons),
Myanmar (740,000 tons), the United Republic of Tanzania
(710,000 tons), India (658,000 tons), and Nigeria (490,000
tons) were the top global sesame seed producers. Ethiopia
ranked the 8th and 5th largest producer of sesame seed
globally and in Africa with 260,258 tons in 2020. As indi-
cated by FAOSTAT, Ethiopia placed 4th in sesame seed
exports in 2020 with 228,089 tons. Sudan was the world’s
largest exporter (492,351 tons), followed by India (276,265
tons).
e oilseed sector in Ethiopia significantly contributes to
the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Sesame, soybean,
and niger seed, Ethiopia’s three main oilseed crops, account
for nearly 20% of total agricultural export earnings, second
only to coffee [7]. e expansion and enhancement of the
oilseeds sector can significantly contribute to national, re-
gional, and family economic development. e Ethiopian
government has recognised this fact, promoting the oilseeds
sector by offering investment incentives such as duty and tax
income exemptions for foreign investments ranging from 2
to 8 years [8]. Sesame is among the earliest oilseeds known to
humans, having a broad range of distribution from the
tropics to temperate areas. Sesame cultivation has a long
Hindawi
International Journal of Agronomy
Volume 2022, Article ID 5134478, 8 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5134478