Origin Of The Sesame Plant

789 Words2 Pages

ORIGINS
Sesame (Sesamun indicum) seeds are edible seeds grown from the tropical oilseed plant that bears the same name. The sesame plant is also thought to be one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world (Hansen, 2011). This plant is chronicled to have existed about 3000 years ago in Babylon and in Egypt, and is said to have originated in sub- Saharan Africa (Hansen, 2011). Although the sesame plant originated in Africa, through commerce and trade it has reached the entire globe. The sesame plant is now grown throughout the world.
CULTIVATION
The sesame seed plant is a short plant that sprouts different colored flowers. The flowers contain the sesame seeds, which are available in many colors depending on how it is grown. The Sesame plant is built to withstand drought, possibly due to its origins in Africa. Although it is small, the sesame plant takes a lot of careful planning in order to be produced.
For instance, the Sesame plant must be planted on fertile soil that has a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (Langham et. al, 2008). This means that sesame seeds are best planted with a consistent temperature in mind with adequate rainfall. The soil has to be moist, but the sesame plant has to be carefully maintained due to its high risk of saturation by water. Sesame seed plants pose no risk for disease or have risk of being destroyed by various insects.
( Van d'Rhys, 2008)
After about four months, the sesame seeds are ready to be harvested. It is during this time that the sesame seeds are processed to ensure that all seeds are able to be sold for consumer use. The processing of the sesame seeds is a very tedious job. The seeds are first cleaned and hulled. Those that require no extra care are then packed and sent to sto...

... middle of paper ...

...e dandruff, and is also used as a healthy massaging oil. Sesame oil is also used in shampoos and conditioners

IMPORT/EXPORT
International demand for sesame continues to increase every year. 3.84 million Metric tons of sesame seeds was harvested in 2010 (Langham et. al, 2008). The largest contributor of sesame seeds is Burma, and following are India and China. All three of the top contributors provide more than 50% of seeds globally. Japan is the world’s largest importer of sesame seed. Sesame oil, particularly from roasted seed, is an important element of Japanese cooking and usually this is the main use of the seed. China is the second largest importer of sesame, mostly oil-grade sesame. The United States imports more sesame than it grows. In 2010, the United States imported sesame seed valued at $69.9 million, almost unchanged from 2009 (Langham et. al, 2008).

More about Origin Of The Sesame Plant

Open Document