Indonesia Sesame Seed Import Market Report: India’s Supply Position & Trade Analysis

# Indonesia Sesame Seed Import Market Report

## India’s Supply Position & Trade Analysis

Research Scope: Indonesia
Product: Sesame Seeds
HS Code: 120740
Latest Complete Trade Year Analysed: 2024
Historical Period Reviewed: 2020–2024 where comparable data was available
Research Type: Secondary trade-data analysis with ARPRIC calculations and interpretation

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## 1. Executive Summary

Indonesia is an established importer of sesame seeds, with India playing a particularly important role in its external supply.

According to reported international trade data, Indonesia imported approximately 10.69 million kg of sesame seeds in 2024, with a total reported import value of approximately US$21.63 million.

India accounted for approximately 9.98 million kg of this volume, valued at approximately US$20.28 million.

Based on these figures, India represented approximately 93.3% of Indonesia’s reported sesame import volume and approximately 93.8% of its import value in 2024.

The data therefore indicates a highly concentrated supplier structure in which India held the dominant reported position.

However, Indonesia’s total sesame import volume was slightly lower in 2024 than in 2022 and 2023. This makes the market notable not simply for import growth, but for its relatively stable import requirement combined with a strong concentration of supply from India.

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## 2. Research Objective

The purpose of this report is to understand:

• The size of Indonesia’s sesame seed import market
• Recent changes in import volume and value
• Indonesia’s principal supplying countries
• India’s position in the Indonesian sesame market
• The concentration of Indonesia’s sesame sourcing
• Historical India–Indonesia sesame trade movement
• Commercial factors that sesame market participants should monitor

This research focuses on trade statistics rather than individual company transactions.

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## 3. Research Methodology

This report uses international merchandise trade statistics for:

HS Code: 120740
Product Description: Sesamum seeds
Reporter Country: Indonesia
Trade Flow: Imports

The analysis was conducted using publicly available international trade data presented through the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS), based on UN Comtrade trade statistics.

The methodology involved four steps.

### Step 1 – Market Size Analysis

Indonesia’s total reported sesame seed import quantity and value were collected for the latest complete trade year available.

### Step 2 – Supplier Analysis

Reported imports were analysed by origin country to identify Indonesia’s principal foreign suppliers.

### Step 3 – India–Indonesia Trade Analysis

Indonesia’s reported imports from India were compared with Indonesia’s total sesame imports to calculate India’s share by:

• Import volume
• Import value

### Step 4 – Historical Trend Analysis

Available annual trade observations were compared to understand whether India’s sesame shipments to Indonesia were expanding, declining or remaining relatively stable.

Calculations including market shares, changes and implied unit values were performed by ARPRIC from the underlying reported trade values and quantities.

Trade statistics can contain differences between exporter-reported and importer-reported figures due to timing, valuation methods, freight treatment, re-exports and other reporting differences. Importer-reported data is therefore used as the primary basis when analysing Indonesia’s market.

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## 4. Indonesia Sesame Seed Imports in 2024

Indonesia reported sesame seed imports of:

Import Quantity: 10,690,700 kg
Import Value: US$21.63 million

This equals approximately:

10,691 metric tons of sesame seeds

The figures demonstrate that Indonesia relies on international supply for a meaningful volume of sesame seeds.

The implied average customs value across Indonesia’s reported sesame imports was approximately US$2.02 per kg in 2024.

This calculated unit value is a statistical trade indicator only. It should not be interpreted as a current market quotation, wholesale price or selling price.

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## 5. Indonesia’s Major Sesame Seed Suppliers

Indonesia sourced sesame seeds from several countries in 2024.

The leading reported suppliers included:

India:
9,975,880 kg
US$20.28 million

Pakistan:
459,910 kg
US$0.78 million

China:
142,815 kg
US$0.31 million

Mexico:
56,701 kg
US$0.20 million

United Arab Emirates:
54,000 kg
US$0.054 million

India’s reported volume was substantially larger than that of every other supplying country.

This creates a highly concentrated import structure rather than a broadly diversified supplier base.

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## 6. India’s Share of Indonesia’s Sesame Imports

ARPRIC calculations based on Indonesia’s reported 2024 trade data indicate that India supplied approximately:

93.3% of Indonesia’s sesame imports by volume

and approximately:

93.8% of Indonesia’s sesame imports by value.

In other words, roughly nine out of every ten kilograms of sesame seeds reported as imported by Indonesia in 2024 originated from India.

This is one of the most significant findings of the research.

The data shows that India was not simply one supplier among many; it represented the large majority of Indonesia’s reported external sesame supply during the year.

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## 7. India–Indonesia Sesame Trade Trend

India’s reported position can also be viewed across several years.

Reported Indonesian imports from India were approximately:

2020:
8.32 million kg
US$10.03 million

2021:
9.00 million kg
US$13.15 million

2022:
10.65 million kg
US$19.95 million

2023:
10.12 million kg
US$22.87 million

2024:
9.98 million kg
US$20.28 million

The quantity supplied from India increased substantially between 2020 and 2022 before moderating slightly during 2023 and 2024.

Even after that moderation, 2024 volume remained approximately 20% above the reported 2020 level.

This indicates that the India–Indonesia sesame trade relationship remained substantial across the period rather than being driven by a single exceptional year.

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## 8. Recent Indonesia Import Trend

For years where comparable total Indonesian import data was reviewed:

2022:
11.17 million kg
US$21.13 million

2023:
11.05 million kg
US$24.75 million

2024:
10.69 million kg
US$21.63 million

Import quantity therefore remained around the 10–11 million kg range during these three years.

Between 2022 and 2024, total reported volume declined by approximately 4.3%.

This is an important distinction.

The available data does not support describing Indonesia as a rapidly expanding sesame import market during this period.

A more accurate interpretation is that Indonesia maintained a significant and relatively stable import requirement, while India continued to account for the majority of that supply.

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## 9. Import Value Versus Import Volume

Trade value should not be analysed independently from volume.

Indonesia’s reported sesame import value increased from approximately US$21.13 million in 2022 to US$24.75 million in 2023 before declining to approximately US$21.63 million in 2024.

At the same time, quantities changed much less dramatically.

This indicates that changes in total trade value can reflect differences in unit values as well as physical import demand.

Unit values may be influenced by product mix, grade, quality, origin, contract timing and other commercial factors.

Therefore, higher import value does not automatically mean higher physical demand.

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## 10. Importer-Reported vs Exporter-Reported Data

An important methodological finding is that bilateral trade figures are not always identical depending on which country reports the transaction.

For 2024, Indonesia reported imports from India of approximately:

9.98 million kg
US$20.28 million

India’s reported exports to Indonesia were approximately:

9.64 million kg
US$19.74 million

The difference is relatively modest but demonstrates why trade research should clearly state whether importer-side or exporter-side statistics are being used.

For this report, Indonesia’s importer-reported figures are used as the primary market-size measure because the research question concerns Indonesia’s imports.

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## 11. Indonesia Is Both an Importer and Exporter

Indonesia also reported sesame seed exports in 2024.

Reported exports were approximately:

815,857 kg
US$1.54 million

Important destinations included Japan, Other Asia, Singapore and South Korea.

This means Indonesia should not be viewed solely as an importing market.

However, its reported import volume of approximately 10.69 million kg was substantially larger than its reported export volume of approximately 0.82 million kg.

On a simple gross-trade basis, imports were approximately 13 times larger than exports by quantity.

This reinforces Indonesia’s position as a substantial net-importing market within the trade data analysed.

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## 12. What the Data Suggests About the Indonesian Market

Three observations stand out.

First, Indonesia maintains a significant sesame import requirement.

Second, India occupies a highly concentrated position within that supply structure.

Third, total import quantities during 2022–2024 were relatively stable rather than showing continuous rapid growth.

This combination matters.

For market participants, Indonesia represents an established trade relationship for Indian sesame rather than an entirely new or untested destination.

At the same time, supplier concentration should not automatically be interpreted as guaranteed future demand. Buyers may change origins based on price, specifications, crop conditions, availability, quality and commercial requirements.

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## 13. Product Quality and Specification Considerations

Sesame should not be evaluated only by country of origin or headline price.

For natural sesame seeds, relevant commercial specifications can include:

• Purity
• Impurity
• Moisture
• Oil content
• FFA
• Seed colour
• Cleaning level
• Sorting method

Indian natural sesame can be available in different specifications, including standard cleaned and higher-purity Sortex grades.

The appropriate specification depends on the buyer’s intended application.

For this reason, international trade statistics are useful for understanding market size and sourcing patterns, but they do not identify the exact grade or specification represented by every shipment.

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## 14. Key Market Indicators to Monitor

Future updates to this research should monitor:

• Indonesia’s annual sesame import volume
• Indonesia’s import value
• India’s share of Indonesian imports
• Pakistan and China’s supplier shares
• India–Indonesia shipment volume
• Implied average import unit value
• Indian sesame crop availability
• Quality and grade availability
• Freight and logistics conditions
• Indonesian food-industry demand

These indicators can help determine whether Indonesia’s import structure is changing over time.

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## 15. Research Conclusion

Indonesia imported approximately 10.69 million kg of sesame seeds worth US$21.63 million in 2024.

India supplied approximately 9.98 million kg worth US$20.28 million, giving it an estimated 93.3% share of reported Indonesian import volume.

Historical data also shows that Indian sesame shipments to Indonesia increased from approximately 8.32 million kg in 2020 to approximately 9.98 million kg in 2024.

However, Indonesia’s overall import volume during 2022–2024 remained relatively stable and declined slightly over the period.

The evidence therefore supports three clear conclusions:

Indonesia is a significant sesame-importing market.

India has a highly concentrated position in Indonesia’s reported sesame imports.

Recent data indicates stable substantial demand rather than uninterrupted high growth.

Future updates should focus on whether total import volumes change, whether India maintains its supplier share, and whether alternative origins gain a larger position in Indonesia’s sourcing structure.

Report Summary-

Indonesia imported approximately 10.69 million kg of sesame seeds valued at US$21.63 million in 2024.

India supplied approximately 9.98 million kg valued at US$20.28 million, representing about 93% of Indonesia’s reported sesame import volume.

This report analyses Indonesia’s sesame seed import market using HS 120740 trade data, with particular focus on supplier concentration, India–Indonesia trade, recent import trends and the implications for sesame buyers and suppliers.

Research Disclaimer:

This report is prepared for market-information purposes using publicly available international trade statistics and ARPRIC calculations.

Trade figures may be revised and may differ between importer-reported and exporter-reported datasets. HS 120740 covers sesamum seeds and does not necessarily distinguish every commercial grade, variety or processing specification.

Calculated market shares and implied unit values are derived from reported trade value and quantity. They should not be interpreted as current product prices, quotations, forecasts or guarantees of future demand.

Buyers and businesses should verify current product specifications, regulations, prices and commercial conditions before making purchasing or business decisions.