Mozambique records zero sesame rejections in Japan and the EU
Important news | Sixty-four lots passed in the first nine months of 2026, but compliance remains shipment-specific.
Editorial desk
Important news | Mozambique’s agriculture ministry said no sesame shipment sent to Japan or the EU from January through September 2026 was rejected for quarantine or food-safety non-compliance. JETRO reported the result on 6 November. It is a record for a defined period and two destinations, not a promise that every crop, market or future lot will pass.
Exports in the period reached 5,000 tonnes in 31 lots to Japan and 1,400 tonnes in 33 lots to the EU. Buyers should treat the zero-rejection result as evidence from 64 shipments while still asking for lot-level specifications, residue tests, origin records and traceability.
The comparison matters: 14 lots sent to Japan and the EU failed between 2023 and 2025, and Japan had ordered testing after excessive pesticide residues were detected. The new result shows progress in control, not the removal of rules. Importers should check current limits, test methods and sampling before quoting delivery dates.
Officials linked the improvement partly to pre-shipment digital certification by the cotton and oilseeds authority. A practical supplier file should connect farmer, plot, harvest, processing, laboratory result, container and certificate number so a disputed lot can be traced quickly.
Mozambique supplied 11,092 tonnes, about 6% of Japan’s 186,483 tonnes of sesame imports in 2025, ranking fifth. That is a meaningful position, not an order guarantee. A useful next step is to obtain one target buyer’s specification and build a mock lot file before discussing samples or annual volumes.
Sources
Some images in this article are generated illustrations.