Insights
The sesame trade,
explained properly.
Working notes from the desk: the guides we send buyers who are new to Nigerian sesame, written the way we run the trade: specification first, documents always.
For the arithmetic rather than the explanation, there are three buyer tools — and for a term you have not met before, the trade glossary
01Buyer's guideHow to import sesame seeds from NigeriaA practical buyer's guide to importing Nigerian sesame seeds: grades, specifications, the enquiry-to-shipment process, documents, payment terms, inspection and how to manage risk.8 min read02Buyer's guideAflatoxin, Salmonella and residue limits for sesameAflatoxin, Salmonella and pesticide limits for imported sesame, each traced to the regulation that sets it. EU, Japan and China compared.14 min read03Buyer's guideNigerian sesame seed specifications, explainedWhat purity, moisture, oil content, FFA, admixture and aflatoxin limits actually mean on a Nigerian sesame specification, and which numbers matter for tahini, bakery and oil crushing.7 min read04Market noteThe Nigerian sesame season: a buyer's calendarWhen Nigerian sesame is planted, harvested and shipped, and when buyers should book. Planting to new-crop arrivals, peak trading months and forward-booking windows, month by month.5 min read05Buyer's guideHow to vet a sesame exporter in NigeriaA due-diligence checklist for buyers choosing a sesame seed exporter in Nigeria: company verification, references, samples, third-party inspection, payment safety and the red flags that end conversations.11 min read06Market noteAfrican sesame origins, comparedAfrica supplies much of the world's traded sesame. How the major origins (Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and the emerging West African belt) compare on seed character, seasons and logistics.7 min read07Market guideSelling Nigerian sesame into IndiaIndia is one of the three largest markets for Nigerian sesame. A guide to who actually buys it, what specification the Gujarat hulling belt runs on, how the 30% import duty is handled, and which ports and container sizes the trade uses.7 min read08Buyer's guideFOB Lagos, CFR and CIF: Incoterms for sesame buyersWhat FOB Lagos actually covers, how CFR and CIF differ from it, where risk transfers, what CIF insurance does and does not give you, and why the Incoterm is not the contract.9 min read09Application guideCrushing-grade sesame: oil content, FFA and what they cost youWhat oil mills should specify when buying Nigerian sesame for crushing: why oil content is a ceiling rather than a yield, what FFA costs in refining loss, what admixture costs per container, and how to write the specification.8 min read010Buyer's guideExport documents for Nigerian sesame, and how to verify each oneEvery document in a Nigerian sesame shipment: what each one is, who issues it, how a buyer can independently verify it, and what goes wrong. Includes NEPC, NAQS phytosanitary and ePhyto.9 min read011How we workWhat we commit to, and how you check itEvery Nigerian sesame exporter says it is reliable. Here is what AgroMax puts in writing before quoting, and the government registry link for every claim on this page.7 min read012Regulatory correctionExporting sesame to China: Decree 248 is not the rule any moreMost guides to exporting sesame to China still cite GACC Decree 248. It was replaced by Decree 280 on 1 June 2026, and raw sesame never sat under that regime anyway.8 min read013Contract notePayment terms for Nigerian sesame: what we offer and whyThe payment terms AgroMax trades on: 30% advance with 70% against an irrevocable letter of credit at sight, or 100% irrevocable L/C at sight from a recognised bank. What UCP 600 actually says about each, and what makes a credit fail to pay.9 min read014Application guideSesame seeds for tahini and halva productionWhat a tahini or halva plant should specify when buying Nigerian sesame: which grade, why colour and FFA are contract terms, the aflatoxin row that applies when the seed is destined for a paste rather than a crusher, and what the EU now checks on the finished product.10 min read015Grade comparisonNatural vs hulled sesame seeds: which grade fits your productHulled and unhulled (natural) sesame compared for buyers importing from Nigeria: what hulling changes, the specification differences, why hulled carries a Salmonella limit, how each grade loads into a container, and which one your product actually needs.9 min read016Grade comparisonSesame seed nutrition: what hulling changesSesame seed nutrition per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central, whole seed against hulled kernels. Hulling removes about 94% of the calcium and more than half the iron and copper, and raises fat and protein. What that means for a nutrition label and for the grade you buy.6 min read017Origin comparisonIndian vs Nigerian sesame: how a buyer should compare the two originsComparing Indian and Nigerian sesame for import: how each origin is treated at the EU border, what the 2020 ethylene oxide episode changed, how India both grows and buys Nigerian seed, and what to know if you are searching for an Indian sesame exporter.7 min read018ComplianceSesame allergen labelling: what the EU, US, Canada, Australia, Japan and China requireSesame is a declarable allergen in the EU, the US, Canada and Australia–New Zealand, recommended but not mandatory in Japan, and voluntary in China. The instrument, the wording and the date for each, read from the regulators' own texts.6 min read019ReferenceSesame in 29 languages: the names buyers and sellers useWhat sesame is called across the sesame trade: Hindi til, Gujarati tal, Hausa riɗi, Arabic simsim, Turkish susam, Japanese goma, Korean chamkkae, Chinese zhīma, Vietnamese vừng and mè, and more, each checked against a dictionary.5 min read020Grade comparisonBlack sesame vs white sesame, and why black seed is something elseBlack and white sesame are the same species, Sesamum indicum, with different seed-coat colours, and they share one customs code. Black seed (Nigella sativa) is a different plant in a different family, classified as a spice in an EU binding tariff ruling. What each is, and which grades we offer.5 min read021Market guideWhat sets the price of sesame seedWhy sesame prices move: the specification the contract is settled on, rain-fed harvests with different calendars by origin, China's weight in world imports, tariffs and quotas, and currency. Where official price series are published. No prices quoted.7 min read022Market guideSelling sesame into South Korea: the aT tender, the quota and the 630% tariffHow South Korea imports sesame: a 40% in-quota tariff against 630% or KRW 6,660/kg outside it, aT as designated importer and import-rights auctioneer, what an aT tender asks for, how trade agreements treat each origin, and where Nigeria stands.7 min read
Sourcing sesame for the 2026/27 season?
New-crop arrivals begin in late November. Forward bookings open from August. Send us your specification and destination, and you will have a formal quotation within 48 hours.