Sesame Production Capacity Building Project

With USADF funding support, Women Finance Co. Ltd. will ..A) Improve production capability.. Women Finance Co.

Ltd will construct 1000-ton capacity storage facility to improve its storage capacity to reduce postharvest lost and improve product handling.

As a result, the enterprise will be able to bulk huge volume of sesame during the season of plenty and store such raw material in its facility.

This accumulation of raw material will enable the enterprise guarantee availability of raw material required for production of sesame paste and cooking oil. ..The enterprise will procure basic production equipment (one cooking oil presses, one paste making machine and one oil filters) to enable it to improve its production capability, production of sesame pastes and cooking output and which will increase sale and marketing.

Also, the enterprise will be able to purchase packaging material to improve packaging of both raw sesame at farm level as well sesame paste and cooking products. ..The enterprise will establish the crop fund to be used in replenishing purchase capacity for raw sesame from farmers and outgrowers required for production of sesame paste and cooking oil.

Also, the enterprise will be able to establish and operate a seed revolving fund to buy improved seed for farmers. ..B) Improving Marketing Infrastructure..The Women Finance and its farmers are facing with high cost of transportation of raw materials from various collection areas.

Notably, road condition in the project areas is undeveloped and the mean of transportation of raw material are not readily available.

But few transport means which are available are expensive charging the highest rate of transport fees ($100 per 10 kilometers).

To overcome this constraint, the enterprise will buy one truck as a pick-up to improve its collection, distribution and marketing of paste and cooking oil. ..Women Finance will seek to develop a website, Facebook pages, and Instagram to create awareness of