Nigeria is a major global sesame producer and exporter, ranking second in Africa and among the top five globally. Cultivation is concentrated in the northern and north-central grassland regions, primarily by smallholder farmers and export-oriented, resulting in high oil content and stable quality.
I. Distribution of Main Production Areas
Nigeria’s sesame is mainly concentrated in the Sudanese savanna and north-central grassland ecosystems, cultivated in approximately 26 states nationwide. The core production areas are as follows:
Northern Core Area: Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno.
North-Central/Central Zone: Benue (largest producing state), Nasarawa (high-quality white flax from the Rafia region), Kogi, Niger, Taraba, Gombe.
Other Areas: Small-scale cultivation in the southeast (Ebonyi), north of the Cross River.
II. Planting Scale and Yield (2023-2025)
Planted Area: Approximately 580,000 hectares (FAOSTAT 2023), with suitable land of approximately 3.5 million hectares, indicating significant potential.
Annual Yield: Approximately 420,000-480,000 tons, ranking 5th-7th globally and 2nd in Africa.
Yield Level: Average 500-700 kg/hectare, far below the global average of 1200 kg/hectare and the potential of 2000 kg/hectare, indicating substantial room for improvement.
Production entities: Over 90% are smallholder farmers, with commercial farms accounting for a low percentage, though they have been gradually developing in recent years.
Planting season: 1-2 crops can be planted per year, with the main season sown in March-April and harvested in July-August; some areas can have two seasons, achieving year-round supply.
Air Screen Cleaner = Integrated Air Separation + Screening Equipment
Working Principle: The air screen cleaner utilizes two physical principles simultaneously:
1. Screening Principle (Separation by Size, Length, and Shape): Material falls onto a multi-layer vibrating screen. The screens are graded by aperture:
Upper screen: Aperture > Sesame seeds → Blocks large impurities, sesame seeds pass through.
Middle screen: Aperture ≈ Sesame seeds → Retains sesame seeds, broken particles and fine sand pass through.
Lower screen: Removes broken particles and dust.
Vibration causes the material to flow forward automatically and be graded.
2. Air Separation Principle (Separation by Weight and Suspension Velocity): An adjustable fan at the bottom/rear of the machine blows air upwards or backwards.
Heavy materials: Plump sesame seeds → Cannot be blown by the airflow, fall normally.
Light materials: Grass clippings, dust, shriveled seeds, fluff, insect-damaged empty seeds → Are sucked/blown away by the airflow.
The airflow is adjustable to ensure that only impurities are blown away, not good sesame seeds.
Sesame Air Screen Cleaning Machine – Complete Process Flow
Raw Material Feeding
Sesame seeds (with impurities) enter the machine via an elevator/hopper and are evenly spread on the screen surface by a leveling device.
Large Impurity Removal (Upper Screen)
The upper screen has a larger mesh size,
straw, leaves, mud clods, hemp rope, and large particles are trapped → discharged from the large impurity outlet.
Sesame seeds + small impurities fall to the next screen layer.
Main Screening (Middle Screen)
The middle screen matches the sesame particles,
qualified sesame seeds flow on the screen surface and are conveyed forward.
Broken sesame seeds, fine sand, and small soil particles → fall through the screen holes → discharged from the small impurity outlet.
Air Screening and Dust Removal (Core Step)
As the sesame seeds fall/flow, they pass through the air screening zone:
The fan generates a stable airflow.
Light impurities, dust, shriveled seeds, and grass clippings are sucked away → enter the dust collector/dust bag.
Clean and plump sesame seeds continue downwards.
Secondary Cleaning/Grading (Some models have a lower screen)
Further removal of fine impurities ensures clean output.
Cleaned Material Discharge: After undergoing a double cleaning process of sieving and air blowing, the sesame seeds are discharged from the finished product outlet.
I. Gravity Destoner (Destoning Machine)
Specially designed to remove: high-density, heavy impurities such as stones, mud, glass, and metal, especially stones the size of sesame seeds.
Working Principle
Utilizing the combined effects of density difference + vibration + upward airflow:
Difference in Density:** Stones, mud: high density, heavy
Sesame seeds: low density, light
Vibration: The screen plate vibrates reciprocally, causing the material to automatically stratify and move forward.
Upward Airflow：The bottom fan blows a uniform upward airflow, slightly suspending the sesame seeds and allowing the stones to sink.
Final Result:Heavy stones/mud → sink on the screen plate, moving upwards → stone outlet
Light sesame seeds → float on the surface, moving downwards → discharge outlet
II. Gravity Separator (Specific Gravity Machine/Gravity Selector):
Grades sesame seeds according to fullness and specific gravity, purifying their quality.
Removes: shriveled seeds, half seeds, insect-damaged seeds, moldy seeds, broken seeds, and lightly chaff seeds.
Working Principle:
Utilizing specific gravity difference + inclined plane vibration + uniform bottom airflow:
Vibration Table:
The table is a perforated plate that vibrates up and down at an incline.
Bottom Blowing
Air blows upwards from the holes, causing slight fluidization and stratification of the material:
Plump, high-quality sesame seeds: Greater density → Sink to the bottom → Move towards the higher end of the platform
Lighter, shriveled, or damaged seeds: Less density → Float on top → Slide towards the lower end
Grading Outlet
Separated along length:
High-end: Premium sesame seeds (plumpest)
Middle-end: Qualified sesame seeds
Low-end: Shriveled, broken, or moldy seeds
Post time: Mar-13-2026
