The Kenyan Government has approved the use of Aflasafe KE01 to fight aflatoxins.
Aflatoxin contamination in food grain and feed in Kenya has become a major concern as it has a negative impact on health, trade, and food security. Aflatoxin causes liver cancer, suppresses immunity and stunts the growth of children. Nearly 200 people, including school children, have died in Kenya due to acute aflatoxin poisoning in the recent past.
“Now that this biocontrol product is fully approved for use after meeting stringent standards of safety and efficacy, we expect that its rapid adoption will help us to deal with the recurrent and vexing aflatoxin problem, and make our maize safe to eat and trade” said Dr Eliud Kireger; Director General, KALRO.
Aflasafe KE01 was jointly developed by KALRO, IITA, and USDA-ARS with support from the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF), ACDI-VOCA, and the Ministry of Agriculture. It is highly effective (up to 98% aflatoxin reduction in farmers’ fields) in aflatoxin-prone areas of Kenya where people have died of aflatoxin poisoning and maize is frequently unmarketable.
Earlier in the year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries dedicated 1.5 billion Shillings for aflatoxin mitigation in the country. Development of in-country capacity to produce Aflasafe KE01 for Kenya got underway in November 2014 with ground breaking by the Cabinet Secretary for the Modular Manufacturing Facility at KALRO-Katumani. This facility will be run by KALRO, with technical back-stopping of IITA and USDA-ARS. For providing immediate relief to the farmers, the Agriculture Ministry is procuring 230 tons of Aflasafe KE01™ from the Aflasafe Manufacturing facility in IITA, Nigeria.
