AU seeks to eradicate aflatoxin contamination

The African Union (AU) has embarked on eradication of aflatoxin from Africa by the year 2022, AU official said on Wednesday.

Through the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), a body formed by the organization, the AU aims at protecting crops, livestock, and people from the effects of aflatoxins.

"We are aiming at improving food security, health, and trade across the African continent and other continents," PACA's Program Manager Amare Ayalew said in Nairobi during a strategic grain reserve conference.

He revealed that PACA is currently piloting its strategy in Gambia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda and plans to scale up the plan in other countries in the phase two program.

"We are working with the countries in creating awareness, availing technological solutions, developing regulations and policy institutions to help make Africa free from the harmful effects of aflatoxin," Ayalew noted.

He said that aflatoxins contamination is a major problem in stored grains such as maize, cassava, groundnuts, millet, rice, sorghum, and wheat.

He revealed that the contamination causes 30 percent of liver cancer cases in Africa and also losses up to 670 million U.S. dollars annually.

Ayalew said that food contamination affects rural incomes and access to food due to traditional crop production practices, low awareness, weak institutional capacity, conducive climatic conditions, complex difficulty of targeting interventions and heavy reliance on dietary staples.

"A major part of the solution to the aflatoxin challenge lies in adequate handling and storage of grains. Increased understanding of challenges and opportunities of grain reserves in the African context will go a long way to mitigating aflatoxin contamination in strategic crops," he observed.

Aflatoxin-producing moulds affect grain and other food crops mainly maize, cassava, millet, rice, sorghum, and wheat.

The toxins could be carried over along the food chain and causes health problems in livestock through contaminated feed, and in humans through unsafe levels of aflatoxins in dietary staples.

It is poisonous and cancer-causing molds that can lead to stunting in children and severe health problems in adults.

When contaminated grain is processed, Aflatoxins enter the general food supply where they have been found in both pet and human foods.

Ayalew noted that once the plan is achieved, millions of Africans will no longer be exposed to high, unsafe levels of aflatoxins and Africa's food crops are more likely to meet international food safety standards, enabling African countries to massively increase their export potential. Endit