Ghana's first improved sesame varieties move toward release: what better seed means for export supply
By Sandra Nansbuga
Ghana's first improved sesame varieties move toward release: what better seed means for export supply
Ghana has no officially released improved sesame variety, and three CSIR-SARI candidate lines show a yield potential of about 1.2 tonnes per hectare against 0.6 for traditional seed. They reach the National Varietal Release and Registration Committee in 2027 for evaluation, so the supply effect lands after that review, not with the announcement.
What did CSIR-SARI actually put forward?
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) has developed three improved candidate varieties of sesame from an initial pool of 400 accessions, the Ghana News Agency reported from a stakeholder workshop at Nyankpala, near Tamale, on 27 October 2026. Sesame breeder Dr Emmanuel Yaw Owusu put their average yield potential at about 1.2 tonnes per hectare, against 0.6 tonnes for traditional varieties. These are trial figures, not farm averages. Dr Owusu said the three genotypes would be presented to the National Varietal Release and Registration Committee in 2027 for evaluation and consideration for official release, while CSIR-SARI Director Dr Francis Kusi said he expected release for cultivation next year. A submission for evaluation is not a release.
Why has planting material been the binding constraint?
With no released improved varieties, many smallholder farmers plant grain bought in local markets, and some commercial growers bring planting material from neighbouring countries including Burkina Faso. A farmer's yield ceiling is therefore set by last season's market grain or an imported consignment, not by improved seed. That constrains every other improvement, since fertiliser, spacing and timing only pay if the seed can respond. Production is expanding in the north, around Chereponi, Tumu, Garu, Tempane and Navrongo, and more than 90 per cent of the crop is exported because local processing and value addition remain limited, Dr Owusu said.
| Attribute | Candidate varieties | Traditional seed |
|---|---|---|
| Average yield potential | about 1.2 t/ha | about 0.6 t/ha |
| Seed source today | not available to farmers | market grain, sometimes imported |
| Release status | before the committee in 2027 | no improved variety released |
What this means for buyers
Plan on a Ghanaian crop that grows by area rather than yield for the next two seasons. Seed of the candidate varieties cannot reach farmers until the committee reviews them and a multiplication chain exists, so 2027 planting rests on market grain and imports. Keep contracts on measured specifications: admixture, moisture, oil content and purity agreed before booking, not an expected productivity jump.
Ask each supplier where this season's seed came from. Dr Zakaria Issahaku of Mayiya Investments told the workshop that improved varieties and good agronomic practices must align with buyer and processor requirements, and that farmers needed to meet quality standards and supply consistently. The same discipline applies to documentation, as Uganda's in-country coffee certification shift shows.
CSIR-SARI frames the breeding work, run with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center under the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils Sesame Impact Accelerating project, as targeting traits for export, food processing and oil production. Lines selected against those end uses would give buyers consistency as much as volume. The signal to watch is seed company multiplication, not the release announcement; until improved seed moves through distributors, treat forward offers assuming a yield step-change as unhedged. For West African routing, the Onne and Calabar port plans in Nigeria are the parallel question.
FAQ
Q: Have any improved sesame varieties been released in Ghana?
A: No. The three CSIR-SARI genotypes are candidates; they go to the National Varietal Release and Registration Committee in 2027 for evaluation and consideration for release.
Q: How much extra sesame would Ghana produce with these varieties?
A: No published estimate exists. The only verified figures are average yield potential of about 1.2 tonnes per hectare against 0.6 for traditional seed. Realised gains depend on approval, seed multiplication and adoption.
Q: Should I contract Ghanaian sesame now on the strength of the new seed?
A: Contract on specifications, not expected yields. Improved seed is not yet available, so near-term volume comes from market grain and imports, and more than 90 per cent of the crop is already exported.
Sources: Ghana News Agency