Sesame has become one of Burkina Faso's main cash crops, alongside cotton and cashew. In 2024-2025 the country harvested a record volume. But a production record does not make a good price: Chinese demand, which drives the world market, has slowed. Here are the figures and what they mean for a buyer.
A record crop
According to Burkina Faso's council of agro-pastoral and fisheries value chains, sesame production reached 376,945 tonnes in the 2024-2025 season, up 52.51 percent on the previous season (246,975 tonnes) and 34.46 percent above the five-year average. The harvest was driven in particular by the Goulmou, Bankui, Nando, Nazinon and Tannounyan basins.
Burkina Faso ranks among Africa's leading sesame producers, behind Sudan, Nigeria and Tanzania according to Agence Ecofin.
The floor price: 535 CFA francs a kilo
On 8 November 2025 in Bobo-Dioulasso, the authorities and the Burkina sesame inter-professional body (INTERSEB) opened the 2025-2026 marketing season with a floor price of 535 CFA francs per kilogram at farmgate, against 625 in the previous season, a 14.4 percent cut. Transactions below the floor are prohibited, and controls were announced.
The reason for the cut is external. Chinese demand, the main driver of world sesame trade, remained weak, and international quotes for West African white sesame had fallen below 1,000 dollars a tonne, about 300 dollars less than a year earlier.
Exports
Recorded sesame exports reached nearly 50,000 tonnes in 2024, worth 43.1 billion CFA francs, about 76 million dollars. By the end of August 2025, the sector's export earnings had reached 22.4 billion CFA francs, up 73.9 percent year on year.
The gap between production and recorded exports is large. For a buyer it is a reminder: the declared origin of a sesame lot must be documented, from collector to port.
What an importer checks
Purity. The share of sesame seed in the lot, excluding impurities, stones and other seeds.
Moisture and acidity. A damp seed keeps badly; high acidity signals damaged seed.
Contaminants. European and Asian importers test for pesticide residues and microbiological contamination. Europe remembers 2020, when ethylene oxide residues found in sesame imported from India triggered massive product recalls.
Colour and size. Sorted white sesame sells above mixed sesame.
Traceability. Where the lot comes from, who collected it, who cleaned it: that is what lets you answer a check on arrival.
Buying Burkinabè sesame
Buy on specification. Purity, moisture, acidity, residues: written into the contract, with the test method.
Inspect before paying the balance. A sample drawn by an independent inspector from the actual lot, tested by a laboratory recognised in the destination country.
Clean and sort at origin. A lot cleaned and bagged in Burkina Faso travels better and sells better.
Choose the port. Burkina Faso is landlocked. Sesame leaves through Abidjan, Lomé, Tema or Cotonou; the port choice affects cost and lead time.
Our reading
Burkina Faso produces more sesame than ever and sells it cheaper. That is a buyer's market. But low prices also attract poorly sorted, poorly traced lots. Buyers willing to pay a little more for sesame that is cleaned, tested and tracked from field to port will have fewer surprises at discharge. For Turkish, Japanese or European buyers seeking to diversify origins beyond China and India, West Africa is a serious option, provided quality is controlled at origin.
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of sesame per kg in Burkina Faso?
The farmgate floor price is 535 CFA francs per kilogram for the 2025-2026 season, opened on 8 November 2025, against 625 in the previous season.
How much sesame does Burkina Faso produce?
376,945 tonnes in the 2024-2025 season, a record, up 52.51 percent year on year.
Why did sesame prices fall?
Because Chinese demand, the main driver of the world market, stayed weak, and West African white sesame quotes fell below 1,000 dollars a tonne in late 2025.
Through which port is Burkinabè sesame exported?
Burkina Faso has no coastline: its sesame leaves through coastal ports, notably Abidjan, Lomé, Tema or Cotonou.
What we do
GraceRoad buys sesame on your behalf in Burkina Faso and the region, with a contract specification, independent inspection and transport to the port of your choice, or DDP delivery. Tell us the quantity, target quality and destination port.
Read next: raw cashew nuts price in 2026 and sourcing commodities from Africa.
Sources: Ouest Info, citing Burkina Faso's council of agro-pastoral and fisheries value chains (2024-2025 production, growth, five-year average); Horonya Finance (opening of the 2025-2026 season, floor price, INTERSEB, ban on transactions below the floor, earnings to end August 2025); Agence Ecofin, 10 November 2025 (14.4 percent cut from 625 CFA francs, Chinese demand, quotes below 1,000 dollars a tonne, 2024 exports, African ranking).