WorldStage Newsonline– The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan and the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), had signed an agreement to work together to tackle aflatoxin contamination of grains in the region.
This was to help ensure that they were safe for human and livestock consumption and meet export standards.
The IITA Head of Communication, Mrs Katherine Lopez and the EAGC Regional MIS and Communication, Mrs Jacinta Mwau, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Ibadan.
According to the statement, Aflatoxin is a highly poisonous chemical produced by a naturally occurring fungus known as Aspergillus flavus.
The fungus is found in soils and attacks important crops such as maize and groundnut, while in the field and in storage when they are not dried and stored properly.
Aflatoxin poses a serious health threat to both human beings and animals.
In the statement, Dr Kenton Dashiell, the IITA Deputy Director-General, Partnerships for Delivery, said acute poisoning as a result of consuming foods with extremely high levels of aflatoxin could lead to instant death.
He said chronic exposure, on the other hand, as a result of consuming foods with above-the-allowable safe levels, for many years, could result in lowered immunity, low birth weight, and irreversible stunting in children and liver cancer.
According to him, Aflatoxin also causes loss in trade revenues due to contamination of products that do not meet the required standards.
Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), Africa lost an estimated 670 million dollars in rejected export trade annually due to contamination by aflatoxin.
IITA, a not-for-profit research institution that generates innovations to address major agricultural challenges in Africa, and EAGC, a membership organisation that brings together key players across the grain value chain in Eastern and Southern Africa, will, among others, promote best practices and proven technologies to manage aflatoxin.
“This will include promoting the use of Aflasafeﾙ, an innovative, safe, and natural product that drastically reduces aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnuts as part of an integrated aflatoxin management strategy.
“The technology is originally developed by the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and is widely used in the US; IITA, in partnership with the USDA, has successfully adapted this technology for use in many countries in Africa.
“Aflatoxin contamination is a serious food safety issue in sub-Saharan Africa and also a major impediment to trade.
“We are therefore excited about this partnership with EACG that will, among others, support efforts to create awareness on aflatoxin and mitigation strategies, this includes the use of the very effective, safe, affordable and easy-to-use aflasafe technology.
“This will help towards the realisation of our vision for an aflatoxin-free, food-secure Africa,” he said.
Also, the EAGC Executive Director, Mr Gerald Masila said it sought to identify best practices in food safety and quality control among grain value chain actors to increase their potential in intra- and inter-African grain trade.
He said by reducing aflatoxin contamination in grains to safe levels, Africa could meet international food safety standards, thereby creating a huge opportunity for increase in grain exports potential.
Masila added that the MoU would leverage each organisation’s comparative advantage to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of advocacy, research, capacity development, and awareness creation.
According to him, EAGC and IITA will work together to shape quality grain production, support market linkages for increased regional grain trade, promote the implementation of EAC staple foods standards and aflatoxin control, thereby mobilising resources to attain and manage aflatoxin standards.
He added that the MoU intended to increase cooperation through knowledge and experience sharing as well as mobilisation of resources to maximise desired outcomes.
The Aflasafe technology had been registered for commercial use and transferred to the private sector for scale-up.
To date, 14 products have been registered in 10 countries (Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique) with more under development in 12 countries.
