Sesame seed and it’s processed products are very important food ingredients in Koreans' diet. However, domestic sesame production portion has fallen, and more than 80% of total consumption is now dependent on imports. At the same time, the world ses...
Sesame seed and it’s processed products are very important food ingredients in Koreans' diet. However, domestic sesame production portion has fallen, and more than 80% of total consumption is now dependent on imports. At the same time, the world sesame trade volume is increasing, and the structure of exporting and importing countries is changing. African countries such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Tanzania have increased their share in the world export market of sesame, while the share of China, Myanmar, etc. has fallen sharply. China was a major exporter of sesame seeds, but has recently moved into a major importer with an import market share exceeding 40%. In this situation, Korea is still highly dependent on imports from China. However, in the long run, Korea's sesame import target countries will also be diversified, and the rise in import prices due to increase of global demand is expected to have an impact on the domestic demand-supply of sesame seeds. In addition, problems such as the effectiveness of the TRQ system and the crisis of the domestic sesame industry due to increased imports can be raised at the same time.