As the sesame harvest begins in Côte d'Ivoire, the first national days dedicated to this crop are organized for the occasion. For two days in Kong, in the north of the country, farmers, entrepreneurs and bankers are gathered to better understand the properties of this seed and explore the In Côte d'Ivoire, farmers grow sesame for their own consumption, mainly in the regions of Bagoué, Tchologo, Bafing and Folon. However, increasingly, producer cooperatives also see an opportunity in this lean crop that can conveniently supplement income from cotton, cashew or mango. General Commissioner of the National Sesame Days, Abdoulaye Traoré is also the head of a cooperative of around a hundred producers who are banking on exporting the seed. “ Sesame is a speculative product. We always start by selling it for 350 or 400 CFA francs per kilo. And often, when speculation increases, demand is high. Its price can go up to 600 or 700 CFA francs per kilo at the farm gate. We have already exported a first quantity to China and Israel ,” he explains. An Ivorian label in the crosshairs In Ivory Coast, annual sesame production is around 5,000 tonnes. In the Tchologo region, the Department of Agriculture intends to support producers. " With research, we are concerned with providing them with quality seeds that are resistant to the shocks of climate change ," explains Jacques Eboua, the head of the structure. Researchers from the Ivorian National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA) were involved in the national sesame cultivation days to improve cultivation techniques. By further formalizing this sector, farmers hope to eventually create an Ivorian label.