AGRA, an agric-focused NGO, is advocating for a continuous increase in awareness creation among farmers about best agricultural practices to reduce the concentration of aflatoxins in their produce.
Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. The main fungi that produce aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world.
According to a Policy Officer at AGRA, Dr Dorothy Effa, many farmers in rural Ghana were oblivious of the health implications of aflatoxins which include the risk of contracting liver cancer.
Aside cancer, she explained that high levels of aflatoxins in products also reduces the chances of farmers making money from exportation, as such unsafe products are usually returned.
“Aflatoxin infestation is preventing farmers from exporting some of their products especially peanut butter or groundnuts and maize due to high levels of Aflatoxins concentrations.”
“This toxic could be in the soil and some of them too could be as a result of poor agronomical practices. There are some that are already in the soil so no matter the good agricultural practices, aflatoxins still end up in the yields but could be minimized,” she said.
Dr Effa who made the assertion was speaking at a press soiree organised by AGRA last Wednesday, advised farmers to desist from heaping their maize and other farm produce after harvest, to reduce the development of fungus which could develop into aflatoxins because heaping facilitates fungus generation in crops.
Farmers, she said could also minimise aflatoxins by harvesting at the right time.
She stressed the need for farmers to focus on good agronomical practices in order to get premium prices for their products whiles protecting the health of the public.
“One thing with the aflatoxins is that because it is toxin from the fungus, no amount of heat can remove it and it is very dangerous,” she stressed.
In furtherance, she revealed that AGRA in collaboration with the Ghana Standards Authority has been focusing on the sensitisation of farmers on the safety of their produce.
“We also worked with some firms to supply some test equipment to Ghana Commodity Exchange so that they will be able to test the aflatoxin level of any maize that comes there,” she added.
Dr Effa also cautioned against the feeding of animals with spoilt grains, saying various researches have proven that when the grains are infested with aflatoxins, the animals get infected as well and may transfer it to consumers.
She also called on financial institutions to support farmers with loans to help them grow their businesses.
Country Manager for AGRA, Juliette Ampoh-Agroh in her remarks emphasised that AGRA’s vision had always been to collaborate with government to support in the transformation of Ghana’ agriculture sector.
She said her outift will continue to collaborate with the Ministry for Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in the interest of farmers and the public at large.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
