Sesame economic profitability analysis in Koulikoro area, Kolokani district, Mali

Sesame, an industrial crop grown mostly on poor soils with low yields, is a key crop in Mali. The sector represents a source of income through its strong demand on the national and international scale and because it occupies an important place in the agro-food industry. Sesame is becoming more and more popular in trade. However, in spite of the effort of the national development offices, NGOs, and the PROSEMA (Promotion of Sesame Malian) project in production and marketing, the actors of the sesame sector in Mali do not receive a sustained attention from the authorities to enable the industry to flourish. For now, they face competition that makes the Malian label invisible in the international market. Sesame chain (Bènè in Bambara national language) is a product that has prospects for further development. It attracts interest in neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and abroad. Sesame provides a key source of income for mainly the populations located in its natural zone of cultivation, namely, the regions of Ségou, Koulikoro, Sikasso and Mopti. Sesame seeds can be processed into products such as oil, Benedégé or croquettes for domestic and international markets. The present study analyzed the economic profitability of the sesame production by Kolokani producers. It was conducted with a sample of 17 producers for the collection of primary data covering the three years (2016, 2017, and 2018). Secondary data were collected through literature reviews. Based on the analysis only 24% of the farmers were women. Likewise, the majority (70%) of producers were aged between 41 and 65 years, indicating an aging population of sesame farmers. The operating account gave a negative result of -33 101 FCFA indicating that during the last three years, farmers lost on average more than $50/year from their investments in sesame production. This also may be due high production costs and or poor market prices for farmers. The market analysis indicated that the sale price of sesame was XOF/FCFA 441 and the average yield of the crop was 339kg / ha with a break-even point of 408kg / ha.