Tahini

Tahini and sesame prices reach an all time high in Lebanon, due to increased demand from China. Where have I heard this one before? What puzzles me is that all the local tahini and halawa is made from imported sesame while there is some sesame production in Lebanon especially the south where it is produced as a rainfed crop. It is very prized and used to make the zaatar mix, but I ws told it is not good for tahini production.