One of the most promising niches in Ukrainian agriculture is sesame cultivation. The profitability reaches 700%, and the net profit is about 70 thousand UAH / ha.

This is discussed in the material of the Voice of Ukraine.

According to the deputy director of the experimental station Vera Konovalova, the Askania State Agricultural Experimental Station of the Institute of Irrigated Agriculture of the NAAS is engaged in experiments on growing sesame in the arid Steppe of Ukraine. Nine years ago, in the Kherson region, the first experimental plot for growing sesame with an area of ​​only 30 m² was created. However, today it is already growing by 5 hectares of field. And the forecasts for the harvest are not bad.

“The calculation is simple: annually to Ukraine for the production of butter and the needs of the confectionery and bakery industry from Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan, etc. more than 20 thousand tons of these seeds are imported. And it costs almost 100 thousand UAH / t. Namely, a ton of sesame seeds per hectare on irrigation can be obtained in the conditions of the South Ukrainian steppe. And that would be even more profitable than growing wheat. 70 thousand UAH of net profit from 1 hectare of sesame is a good result ", - said the chief agronomist of the state enterprise" Experimental farm "Askanijskoe" Viktor Nizhegolenko.

But the problem is not to grow the crop, you need to sell it profitably, - says the specialist. To sell to the same confectioners at the maximum price, sesame seeds must first be peeled. And this requires special equipment, which the Askania State Experimental Station does not have. But it is focused primarily on the cultivation of quality seed material. And it is also in demand: this year, for example, an agrarian from Odessa region has already ordered half a ton of seeds - enough to sow sesame seeds on 50 hectares.

It is also noted that in the steppe near the village of Tavrichanka, the Ukrainian sesame variety "Gusar" from the Institute of Oilseeds (Zaporozhye) is cherished. But they want to create their own variety - more resistant to drought, temperature fluctuations and weathering of seeds. However, the local breeders are only at the beginning of the journey: after all, the breeding and state registration of a new variety can take 5-10 years.

Agro-business