Africa launches initiative to control maize disease

African scientists have launched a regional initiative to improve aflatoxin control regulatory frameworks in the Common Market for eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region.

The scientists have came up with a draft aflatoxin sampling procedures to facilitate effective regional trade for unprocessed maize and groundnuts in COMESA and Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Aware of the rising threat to consumer health and intra trade, COMESA has entered into strategic partnerships to harmonize aflatoxin control measures and improve the regulatory environment for aflatoxin control in its Member States," the COMESA Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Coordinator Martha Byanyima said in a statement received in Nairobi Tuesday.

The proposed sampling protocol addresses the optimum sample size, the conditions and frequency of sampling grain destined for regional markets.

The protocol will minimize the risks of misclassifying commodities, whilst enhancing the effective removal of contaminated commodities from supply chains in East and Southern Africa.

Aflatoxin contamination commonly occurs on pre-harvest and post- harvest maize, groundnut, and other crops of regional importance in Eastern and Southern Africa, such as sorghum and millet.

The most affected countries in COMESA are Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda and Madagascar. The poor storage has also led to infection of maize by poisonous fungi, known as aflatoxin, that has cause deaths in the country when unsuspecting people consumed affected maize.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring fungus that on entering the body is metabolized by the liver which in turn causes liver cancer.

While the fungus that causes aflatoxins is present in the soils the world over, high temperature combined with humid conditions fuels growth of the disease to toxic levels.

In Kenya, the maximum level of aflatoxins allowable in maize intended for human consumption is 10 parts per billion while the European Union has set the level at 4 parts per billion.

Byanyima said the scientists reviewed the proposed sampling protocols to help build consensus on the national regional maximum tolerance limits for Aflatoxin in maize and groundnuts.

This will enable ease of movement of products from one country to another and ensure domestic food safety, given that 60 percent to 80 percent of the affected commodities are used the informal trade and on farm consumption.

According to World Bank studies, 25 percent of world food crops are affected by aflatoxin contamination. The estimated annual loss to African food exporters of cereals, dried fruit and nuts from attempting to meet EU Aflatoxin standards, for example is about 670 million U.S. dollars. Endi