Nigeria
Sector
Agriculture & Agri-processing
Biological control of aflatoxins using aflasafe not only rekindles hope for African farmers battling crop contamination but has also opened doors for the private sector to invest in a viable agricultural product.
The aflasafe technology, which uses ‘good fungus’ to fight the ‘bad ones’, has provided relief to hundreds of maize farmers in northern Nigeria—a region where more than 70% of the population depend on agriculture as a source of livelihood.
Investment opportunity
According to Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, IITA Plant Pathologist, and Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon, coordinator of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)'s Systemwide Program on Integrated Pest Management (SPIPM), with an initial investment outlay of US$1-3-million in an aflasafe manufacturing plant, investors are likely to reap about N20-million (about US$1.33 million) annually.
Bandyopadhyay says
that an investment in an aflasafe manufacturing plant in Nigeria would pay off considering the huge demand for quality maize in the country.
His estimates showed that over 60% of harvested maize in Nigeria currently has high levels of aflatoxins and are prone to being rejected by the feed industry.
'This makes investment in this technology a viable option, not only for profit but also to improve the health of the people,' says Bandyopadhyay.
Trials
In 2009 alone, participating farmers in field trials using aflasafe reduced contamination by about 80%, according research by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Consequently, results from efficacy tests of the product have opened a window of opportunity for the private sector to tap into.
'The approach is the best method of controlling aflatoxins,' says Dotun Oladele, a senior laboratory technology manager with Animal Care
Consults.
Produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxins pose barriers to domestic and international trade of maize and peanuts in sub-Saharan Africa because of contaminated grains.
Representatives of local investors under the aegis of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Business Group have commended the technology and promised to sell the business model to their members with a view to finding an investor.
For more details on manufacturing Aflasafe visit the IITA website.
