Sesame from Pakistan · For the European Union
Sortex sesame seeds, EU specification
Sesamum indicum L.
PG Commodities exports conventional Sortex sesame seeds from Pakistan to its controlled EU specification, PGC/SP/SES-SRT/EU/R01. Purity is at least 99.95 %, foreign material at most 0.05 % and moisture at most 6.0 %. Ethylene oxide is not detected, at a limit of quantification of 0.05 mg/kg, and mercury is held to 0.01 mg/kg, half the EU limit of 0.02.
We test every lot in‑house against the EU’s list of more than 700 banned chemicals, and SGS tests it again. We clean and colour sort the sesame in our own plant in Punjab and ship it from the Port of Karachi, FOB Karachi or CIF, in 25 kg or 50 kg bags. The minimum order is one 40‑foot container.
Sesamum indicum L. · Drawing, not a lot’s test result
Purity · min
99.95%Foreign material · max
0.05%Moisture · max
6.0%Oil content · min
48.0%Specification
Specification R01
PGC/SP/SES-SRT/EU/R01 · HS 1207.40
Cleaned, optically colour-sorted whole sesame seeds for bakery, confectionery, tahini, toppings, snacks, seasoning blends and further food processing. These are our contractual limits for the finished product, issued on 10 August 2026. Each shipment’s Certificate of Analysis names its sampling basis, analytical method and reporting limit.
| Purity | min 99.95 % | Finished-product criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign material | max 0.05 % | Extraneous-material limit |
| Moisture | max 6.0 % | Finished-product criterion |
| Oil content | min 48.0 % | Product specification |
| Free fatty acids | max 2.0 % | FFA |
| Pests and insects | None | No live infestation |
| Hazardous foreign objects | Absent | No stones, metal, glass or hard plastic |
| Product | SES-SRT | Conventional Sortex sesame seeds; whole, natural, cream |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Pakistan | Shipped from the Port of Karachi, PKKHI |
| HS code | 1207.40 | Sesame seeds |
| Packing | 25 kg | New, clean food-grade polypropylene or paper bags (R01); 50 kg bags also supplied |
| Shelf life | 24 months | After packing, stored cool (preferably below 35 °C), dry, relative humidity max 65 % |
| Allergen | Contains sesame | EU Annex II allergen, Regulation (EU) 1169/2011; the only one intentionally present |
Food safety
Contaminants, residues and microbiology
The EU limits come from Regulation (EU) 2023/915 for contaminants and Regulation (EC) 396/2005 for pesticide residues and ethylene oxide; the rest are our own contractual criteria. The legal requirements and maximum residue levels in force at dispatch apply to every shipment.
| Aflatoxin B1 | max 2.0 µg/kg | EU limit for sesame as a finished food ingredient, Regulation (EU) 2023/915 |
|---|---|---|
| Total aflatoxins | max 4.0 µg/kg | Sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2, Regulation (EU) 2023/915 |
| Ethylene oxide | Not detected | LOQ ≤ 0.05 mg/kg; ethylene oxide plus 0.55 × 2-chloroethanol, expressed as ethylene oxide, Regulation (EC) 396/2005 |
| Pesticide residues | EU MRLs | Comply with current sesame-seed MRLs, Regulation (EC) 396/2005; the 0.01 mg/kg default only where no specific MRL is set |
| Cadmium | max 0.10 mg/kg | EU sesame-seed and oilseed limit, Regulation (EU) 2023/915 |
| Lead | max 0.20 mg/kg | PG Commodities criterion |
| Mercury | max 0.01 mg/kg | PG Commodities criterion; stricter than the EU oilseed MRL of 0.02 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | max 0.20 mg/kg | PG Commodities criterion |
| Total bacterial count | ≤ 100,000 CFU/g | |
|---|---|---|
| E. coli | < 10 CFU/g | |
| Coliforms | ≤ 100 CFU/g | |
| Moulds and yeasts | ≤ 20,000 CFU/g | |
| Salmonella spp. | Not detected | Five 25 g samples; n=5, c=0; EN ISO 6579-1 or a validated equivalent |
Declarations
- Conventional; not represented as organic
- Non-GMO, per the product declaration
- Not irradiated
- Ethylene oxide is not used as a treatment
- A single-ingredient food of plant origin; no gluten-containing ingredient is intentionally added
Testing
Every lot tested twice, before it leaves the farm
We test every lot in‑house against the EU’s list of more than 700 banned chemicals, and SGS tests it again. A lot that fails stays with the farmer to sell. Lots are tested by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory, and every lot comes with its own Certificate of Analysis. One sample from each lot stays with us in Karachi, as our record of what we sent.
Quality and analytical
- Certificate of Analysis
- Aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin results
- Ethylene oxide, 2-chloroethanol and EU pesticide panel
- Cadmium and mercury results
- Microbiology, including Salmonella
Commercial and origin
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin
- Phytosanitary certificate, when required
Declarations
- Allergen statement: contains sesame
- Non-GMO declaration
- Non-irradiation declaration
- Food-contact declaration of compliance
- Halal and Kosher documents, when contracted
The documents that come with each shipment, as specification R01 lists them.
Farm to port
From our farmers to the Port of Karachi
Grown
Pakistan’s farmers are its marginalised backbone. Our Farmer Rehabilitation Programme pays our farmers above market rate, and they grow our sesame pesticide free.
Tested before it leaves the farm
In-house, and again by SGS. A lot that fails stays with the farmer to sell.
Into an export-grade truck
We load the lot into a closed truck. Our storage protocols keep the sesame at its ideal temperature.
Cleaned and sorted in our own plant
In our own plant in Punjab, an air-screen cleaner, a de-stoner and a gravity separator take out dust, impurities large and small, small stones, unfilled seed and sticks, and optical colour sorting takes out discoloured seeds and visible defects.
Processed to your order
Machine cleaned only; hulled; hulled and colour sorted; or machine cleaned and colour sorted without hulling.
Shipped from Karachi
From the Port of Karachi (PKKHI), FOB Karachi or CIF.
Crop calendar
When Pakistani sesame is available
Sesame grows in Pakistan from June to September and is harvested from September to November. It is readily available for bulk export from October to March. Availability tightens in April and May, and is at its lowest, old crop only, from June to September. Samples follow the seasons, so a product’s sample is in the office once its harvest is in.
- Readily available, October to March
- Tightening, April and May
- Lowest, old crop, June to September
Trade terms
Terms, packing and lead time
- Incoterms
- FOB Karachi or CIF
- Port of loading
- Port of Karachi PKKHI
- Minimum order
- One 40-foot container
- Lead time
- 21 days after order confirmation, depending on the order
- Bags
- 25 kg or 50 kg
- Exporting since
- 2016
- Shipped to
- The UAE, Belgium, Germany, South Korea and the USA
- Markets
- Europe (except Russia), the UK, the USA, Canada and the GCC
The company
PG Commodities and The Product Group
PG Commodities is an agricultural commodity exporter in Karachi, Pakistan, and a member of The Product Group. It has exported since 2016, and ships sesame, rice, maize, eggs, potatoes and red onion from the Port of Karachi.
Muhammad Nasir Vohra, Pakistan’s first polymer technologist, founded The Product Group in Karachi in 1970. The group has partners in twelve countries, more than 50 long-term producer partnerships, and distributes over 200,000 tonnes of industrial products a year. It is Kuraray’s official distributor, and its companies are GTCL, SPC and PG Commodities.
Twelve certifications
- ISO 22000:2018
- ISO 9001:2015
- ISO 14001
- ISO 37001
- BRCGS
- HACCP
- GMP
- GLOBALG.A.P.
- SMETA
- Sedex
- Kosher
- Halal
Copies of every certificate are sent on request.
Buyers’ questions
What buyers ask us
What purity is your Sortex sesame for the EU?
At least 99.95 %, with foreign material at most 0.05 %, under our specification PGC/SP/SES-SRT/EU/R01. Moisture is at most 6.0 %, oil content at least 48.0 % and free fatty acids at most 2.0 %.
Is your sesame tested for ethylene oxide?
Yes. Our EU specification requires ethylene oxide, with 2-chloroethanol, to be not detected at a limit of quantification of 0.05 mg/kg, and each shipment carries its ethylene oxide, 2-chloroethanol and EU pesticide results. Ethylene oxide is not used as a treatment.
What are the aflatoxin and Salmonella limits?
Aflatoxin B1 at most 2.0 µg/kg and total aflatoxins at most 4.0 µg/kg, the EU limits for sesame as a finished food ingredient under Regulation (EU) 2023/915. Salmonella must not be detected in five 25 g samples (n=5, c=0).
Who tests each lot?
We test every lot in‑house against the EU’s list of more than 700 banned chemicals, and SGS tests it again. Lots are tested by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory, and every lot comes with its own Certificate of Analysis.
Is it suitable for tahini?
Yes. The specification lists tahini among its intended uses, with bakery, confectionery, toppings, snacks, seasoning blends and further food processing.
What is the minimum order?
One 40-foot container.
Which Incoterms do you offer?
FOB Karachi and CIF, from the Port of Karachi (PKKHI).
How soon can you ship?
21 days after order confirmation, depending on the order.
How is it packed?
In 25 kg or 50 kg bags. Specification R01 sets new, clean, food-grade polypropylene or paper bags of 25 kg, with a shelf life of 24 months after packing.
When is Pakistani sesame available?
Harvest runs from September to November. Sesame is readily available for bulk export from October to March; availability tightens in April and May and is lowest, old crop only, from June to September.
Can I see a sample first?
Yes. Tell us the product, grade and destination. Samples follow the seasons, so a product’s sample is in the office once its harvest is in.
Is it organic?
No. It is conventional sesame and is not represented as organic. Our farmers grow it pesticide free, and every lot is tested against the EU’s list of banned chemicals before it leaves the farm.
Do you supply hulled sesame, or sesame for the USA?
Yes. Hulled sesame to our EU specification PGC/SP/SES-HUL/EU/R01, with purity of at least 99.98 %, and Sortex sesame to our US specification PGC/SP/SES-SRT/US/R01. We also process to order: machine cleaned only, hulled, hulled and colour sorted, or machine cleaned and colour sorted without hulling.
Which countries do you ship to?
We have shipped sesame to the UAE, Belgium, Germany, South Korea and the USA, and we sell to Europe (except Russia), the UK, the USA, Canada and the GCC.