The Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station announced the launch of a new sesame variety, "Tainan No. 2," which is designed for mechanized harvesting, reducing costs by up to 35% and offering a higher oil content. Domestic production is only 3.4% of imports. This new variety can significantly reduce labor costs, has great market potential, and will help encourage planting and enhance the competitiveness of the local sesame industry. Taiwan consumes nearly 40,000 tons of sesame annually, with major production areas in Shanhua, Jiangjun, Xigang, Jiali, Anding, Qigu, and Xinhua in Tainan. However, most of the sesame available to consumers is currently imported, with very low local production. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture , in 2024, imports totaled 38,149 tons, while domestic production was only 1,290 tons, accounting for only about 3% of total consumption. The new variety, "Tainan No. 2," has two key characteristics: low grain shedding and suitability for mechanical harvesting. This successfully breaks through the past limitation that domestic sesame production relied on manual harvesting. The Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station stated that compared to the "Tainan No. 1" variety, which has a tendency for its capsules to crack and seeds to fall off easily after maturity, the "Tainan No. 2" variety has a significantly reduced seed loss rate to less than 30%. The seeds remain stably in the capsules after maturity, allowing machinery to complete the harvest in one go, greatly improving operational efficiency and yield. Field trials show that the "Tainan No. 2" sesame variety can achieve a mechanized harvesting rate of over 70%, reducing labor by approximately 45 people per hectare and increasing harvesting efficiency to over 90%. After its implementation, it can save approximately NT$50,000 in production costs per hectare, resulting in an overall cost reduction of 35% and a net profit increase of over 35%. The benefits are significant, demonstrating the strong potential of the sesame industry to move towards labor-saving and high-efficiency production. The Crop Improvement Department of the Tainan Farm pointed out that "Tainan No. 2" has characteristics such as thick stems and resistance to lodging, and its initial pod height exceeds 20 cm, making it easy to harvest mechanically. Its growth period is similar to "Tainan No. 1," with an autumn planting period of about 80 to 90 days, helping farmers continue their existing management practices. The average yield per acre can reach 120 kg, comparable to "Tainan No. 1," and in some areas, it even has the potential for higher yields. The seeds of "Tainan No. 2" have an oil content of 48.2–51.8% and a calcium content as high as 1197–1389 mg/100g, both superior to "Tainan No. 1," combining nutritional value with potential for processing applications. Researchers point out that the launch of "Tainan No. 2" not only helps alleviate labor shortages in sesame production sites but also effectively reduces production costs and improves overall efficiency, marking a significant milestone for domestically produced sesame in its transition to mechanization and sustainable development. Future efforts will focus on demonstration projects and technology promotion to continue assisting farmers in adopting new technologies and accelerating industrial upgrading and transformation.