Afghanistan: Mazar-i-Sharif – Camel-Powered Sesame Oil Production

In Mazar-i-Sharif sesame oil is produced in a tradition old way using camel-powered mills. The process involves camels walking in circles to drive a wooden press that crushes sesame seeds, extracting oil through a cold-press method. This technique, passed down through generations, produces about 300 thousand liters of sesame oil annually in Balkh province around Mazar-i-Sharif, with each mill processing 25-30 kg of sesame seeds daily, with 1 kg of sesame seeds yielding about half a liter of oil. This oil is highly valued for its organic quality and the quality of locally grown sesame seeds – it even supposedly fetches much higher prices then imported one.