Aflatoxin ‘cure’ to cut maize contamination by 70pc
By Nicholas Waitathu, January 15, 2020
The government has contracted a Netherlands- based biological crop protection company to market and distribute Afasafe, a natural product that fights aflatoxin in food crops.
Koppert Biological System will start distributing the farm input starting next season.
Farmers should apply it three weeks before flowering which researchers opine can reduce the aflatoxin contamination in maize by 70 per cent.
Agriculture Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga said that Aflasafe, a new technology developed a few years back to fight aflatoxin in maize, groundnuts and other food crops, would be sold to farmers at Sh201 for one kilogramme starting in the next long rains season.
In a speech read on his behalf by the ministry’s director of research and innovation Oscar Magenya at a Nairobi hotel while unveiling the new company, Boga said that aflasafe will reduce health risks associated with consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated food.
“The factory price of aflasafe stand at Sh270 per 2kg packet but the price will increase to Sh402 owing to other mark-ups such as transport cost,” said Koppert Biological Systems Kenya Ltd general manager Charles Macharia.
“The new technology comes after intensive research of more than 15 years. Going forward, we expect the country will benefit from safe food,” said Boga.