Biological control of aflatoxins using the product aflasafe will help African farmers fight food contamination.

Aflatoxin is a highly poisonous cancer-causing chemical produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, and has been a thorn in the flesh for maize growers in the continent.

The technology which uses ‘good fungus’ to fight the ‘bad ones’, has been successfully applied by maize farmers in northern Nigeria - a region where more than 70% of the population depend on agriculture as a source of livelihood.

Participants in the trials using aflasafe reported reduced contamination by about 80%, according to its developer, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). IITA is a Nigeria-based international non-profit Research-for-development organization.

These impressive results present an opportunity for manufacturing investors to establish plants to manufacture aflasafe. 

Aflasafe is used to prevent the contamination of maize by deadly flatoxins, which pose barriers to domestic and international trade of maize and peanuts in sub-Saharan Africa because of contaminated grains.

According to IITA plant specialists, Dr. Ranajit Bandyopadhyay and Dr. Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon,  with an initial investment outlay of between $1 and $3 million in an aflasafe manufacturing plant investors are likely to reap about $133,000 (N20 million) annually.

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.