At the end of August 2020, the second rapid assessment of the most pressing challenges facing the sesame sector in light of the current circumstance including the Covid-19 pandemic was conducted by Benefit-SBN in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Amhara and Tigray Regions Agricultural Research Institutes (ARARI and TARI) .

Data was gathered from 82 online survey respondents representing the various stakeholders at woreda, zone, region and national levels. The result shows four major alert areas or pressing issues:

• Health and safety of labourers are of major concern
• Small businesses are at risk of collapse
• A financial action plan is needed for timely provision of credit
• Resource-poor farmers are facing particularly severe challenges

The survey results was discussed in four focus group discussions. FG discussants proposed possible action points to address the challenges. They also suggested the relevant stakeholders to initiate and drive actions.

Please follow the following links and read the second Sesame Alerts with proposed actions to address the identified issues. The alerts are available in English, Amharic and Tigrigna languages.