09 September 2013
Some 15,000 hectares of Khuzestan province's lands have gone under sesame cultivation in the current Iranian year (started March 21).
Announcing this, Mohammad Qaseminejad, the deputy head of Khuzestan Agricultural Jihad Department for improving farming products, said that this year, more than 16,000 tons of sesame are expected to be harvested.
He added that on average, sesame production in Khuzestan province exceeds 1 ton per hectare.
"Extracting oil from sesame seed in Khuzestan province dates back to 500 years," he said.
Qaseminejad noted that in Khuzestan province, sesame is mainly used in the traditional workshops of Shoushtar, Dezful and Behbahan for the production of different kinds of sweets.
Behbahan, Dezful, Ramhormuz, Hendijan, Izeh, Andimeshk, Ahvaz and Shoush are among cities where sesame is cultivated.
Last year, Khuzestan harvested more than 13,000 tons of sesame from 13,000 hectares of land.
In addition to food products, sesame is also used in hygienic and pharmaceutical sectors.
Some 35 percent of Khuzestan's sesame production is sold inside the province and the rest is sent to the provinces of Tehran, Fars, East Azarbaijan and Kermanshah.
Sesame seed is considered the oldest oilseed crop known, domesticated well over 3,000 years ago. It is very drought-tolerant and has been called a survivor crop, with an ability to grow where most other crops fail.
It has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines across the world.
The world harvested about 3.84 million metric tones of sesame in 2010. The largest producer of sesame in 2010 was Burma. The world's largest exporter of sesame seeds was India while Japan was the largest importer.
Some 15,000 hectares of Khuzestan province's lands have gone under sesame cultivation in the current Iranian year (started March 21).
Announcing this, Mohammad Qaseminejad, the deputy head of Khuzestan Agricultural Jihad Department for improving farming products, said that this year, more than 16,000 tons of sesame are expected to be harvested.
He added that on average, sesame production in Khuzestan province exceeds 1 ton per hectare.
"Extracting oil from sesame seed in Khuzestan province dates back to 500 years," he said.
Qaseminejad noted that in Khuzestan province, sesame is mainly used in the traditional workshops of Shoushtar, Dezful and Behbahan for the production of different kinds of sweets.
Behbahan, Dezful, Ramhormuz, Hendijan, Izeh, Andimeshk, Ahvaz and Shoush are among cities where sesame is cultivated.
Last year, Khuzestan harvested more than 13,000 tons of sesame from 13,000 hectares of land.
In addition to food products, sesame is also used in hygienic and pharmaceutical sectors.
Some 35 percent of Khuzestan's sesame production is sold inside the province and the rest is sent to the provinces of Tehran, Fars, East Azarbaijan and Kermanshah.
Sesame seed is considered the oldest oilseed crop known, domesticated well over 3,000 years ago. It is very drought-tolerant and has been called a survivor crop, with an ability to grow where most other crops fail.
It has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines across the world.
The world harvested about 3.84 million metric tones of sesame in 2010. The largest producer of sesame in 2010 was Burma. The world's largest exporter of sesame seeds was India while Japan was the largest importer.
© Iran Daily 2013
