• Latest
NARO Develops Solution to Aflatoxins, says Uganda’s Grain is Safe

NARO Develops Solution to Aflatoxins, says Uganda’s Grain is Safe

2 years ago
Museveni Touts Calm Security, Regional Cooperation in State of Nation Address

Museveni Touts Calm Security, Regional Cooperation in State of Nation Address

21 hours ago
Uganda, Kenya Forge Stronger Cross-Border Ties

Uganda, Kenya Forge Stronger Cross-Border Ties

21 hours ago
Venezuelan Envoy Seeks Stronger BRICS Ties with Uganda

Venezuelan Envoy Seeks Stronger BRICS Ties with Uganda

21 hours ago
Apostolic Nuncio Bids Farewell as Diplomatic Tour in Uganda Ends

Apostolic Nuncio Bids Farewell as Diplomatic Tour in Uganda Ends

21 hours ago
SONA Speech: Museveni Outlines Vision to Grow Economy to $500bn by 2040

SONA Speech: Museveni Outlines Vision to Grow Economy to $500bn by 2040

22 hours ago
Uganda Reaffirms Support for AfrECC in Oesophageal Cancer Fight

Uganda Reaffirms Support for AfrECC in Oesophageal Cancer Fight

22 hours ago
SoftPower News
Saturday, June 7, 2025
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
  • Regional
    • Kenya
    • Rwanda
    • Tanzania
    • Burundi
    • South Sudan
    • DR Congo
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Africa
    • Columnists
    • Education
    • Health
      • COVID-19
    • International News
    • News in Pictures
    • OpEd
    • Pearl Of Africa
    • People
    • Politics
    • Special Reports
    • Women
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
  • Regional
    • Kenya
    • Rwanda
    • Tanzania
    • Burundi
    • South Sudan
    • DR Congo
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Africa
    • Columnists
    • Education
    • Health
      • COVID-19
    • International News
    • News in Pictures
    • OpEd
    • Pearl Of Africa
    • People
    • Politics
    • Special Reports
    • Women
No Result
View All Result
SoftPower News
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

NARO Develops Solution to Aflatoxins, says Uganda’s Grain is Safe

by Muhamadi Byemboijana
February 20, 2023
NARO Develops Solution to Aflatoxins, says Uganda’s Grain is Safe

NARO Director General, Dr. Ambrose Agona

43
VIEWS

Scientists at the National Agricultural Advisory Research Organization (NARO) have developed an effective solution to aflatoxins.

According to NARO Director General, Dr. Ambrose Agona, they have developed and patented the “NARO Aflatoxin Binder” and “Aflasafe” products.

Related Stories

Museveni Touts Calm Security, Regional Cooperation in State of Nation Address

Uganda, Kenya Forge Stronger Cross-Border Ties

Venezuelan Envoy Seeks Stronger BRICS Ties with Uganda

Aflasafe.

Dr. Agona revealed that the Aflasafe product has been proven to consistently reduce aflatoxin contamination by over 80%, mostly in pre-harvest. In addition, it is easy to use, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly.

Currently, the Aflasafe technology is registered in nine African countries, including Tanzania and Kenya. Also the development is taking place in eight other countries.

In Uganda, Agona said, NARO is currently validating the product in farmers’ fields to generate reliable data for its official registration and subsequent commercialization.

This collaborative effort between NARO and IITA started in 2020, leading to positive outcomes like the reduction of aflatoxin levels in maize, sorghum, and groundnut at more than 85%.

He believes that for the success of this technology, enhancing awareness about aflatoxin and its management, increasing capability for routine testing, and giving premium prices to quality grain meeting trade and health standards are important drivers.

Aflatoxin binder
Aflotixin binder, Dr. Agona said, is composed of natural aluminosilicate clays obtained from the Albertine graben region of Uganda.

He said that it is effective in sequestering and binding the toxins from contaminated animal feed, depriving the toxins from entering into the animal’s bloodstream and getting assimilated into livestock tissues and products.

He revealed that fortification of aflatoxin-contaminated feeds with the NARO aflatoxin binder at a rate of 1% has been scientifically proven to effectively boost feed intake, growth rate and immunity to important diseases, such as Newcastle disease in poultry.

Furthermore, the binder successfully prevents the carry-over of aflatoxin into the livestock products, thus reducing or eliminating the potential exposure of consumers to health risks associated with aflatoxin contamination.

Management

Agona revealed that several technologies have been recommended to reduce crop aflatoxin content and subsequent human and animal aflatoxin exposure.

These include cultural practices, biological control, host resistance, monitoring and crop destruction, grain drying, sorting, storage, post-harvest processing, and dietary interventions.

Biological control is also an efficient and cost-effective method to prevent contamination during pre- and post – harvest handling.

At the heart of biocontrol technology to manage pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination of groundnut, sorghum, and maize are native and well-adapted atoxigenic (cannot produce aflatoxin) strains belonging to widely distributed genetic groups of the fungus Aspergillus flavus.

When selected, the friendly fungi are applied to the soil prior to crop flowering, they reduce aflatoxin in the farm by “pushing out” their toxic cousins, reducing aflatoxin in crops through a process known as “competitive exclusion.”

Agona said government has been, and is funding research efforts towards aflatoxin control and management, and these efforts have led to a solution called Aflasafe.

He noted that NARO has prioritized research on food and feed safety and has built capacity on aflatoxin research and testing for routine analysis of samples.

No need for Alarm

Agona noted that Uganda’s maize is safe, given the grain standards and grain policy frameworks in place to ensure the safety of grain in the market.

He noted that NARO, together with partners, is and will continue providing solutions to everyday problems that affect agriculture in Uganda.

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.

Also, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) has developed and is implementing policies on nutrition, food and safety, while the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has developed the grain standards and grain policies, all aimed at improving grain quality to meet national, regional and international standards for marketing with a focus on  mitigating contamination of grain with aflatoxin and the associated health risks to consumers The grain traders under the East African Grain Council (EAGC) and the Grain Council of Uganda (TGCU) are vigorously promoting and implementing capacity building in grain handling standards for increased safety, quality and cross-border grain trade.

The private sector has also significantly complemented Government efforts by increasing capacity in post-harvest handling and grain storage, aimed at minimizing contamination of grain by aflatoxin and any other mycotoxins meeting grain standards for trade.

To date, over 180 modern grain silos of different sizes have been installed in the country to facilitate safe storage of grain and consequently mitigate Mycotoxins/Aflatoxins contamination.

Uganda produces about 5 million metric tons of maize annually thus, there is a gap in storage facilities that the Ministry is currently addressing in the market.

Tags: AflatoxinsDr. Ambrose AgonaEast AfricaKenyaNAROSoft PowerSoftPower NewsTop Uganda NewsUgandaUganda Grain

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Recent Stories

Museveni Touts Calm Security, Regional Cooperation in State of Nation Address

Uganda, Kenya Forge Stronger Cross-Border Ties

Venezuelan Envoy Seeks Stronger BRICS Ties with Uganda

Apostolic Nuncio Bids Farewell as Diplomatic Tour in Uganda Ends

SONA Speech: Museveni Outlines Vision to Grow Economy to $500bn by 2040

Uganda Reaffirms Support for AfrECC in Oesophageal Cancer Fight

Visit UBOS Website
SoftPower News Logo

SoftPower News is a subsidiary of SoftPower Communications LLC, a Ugandan digital media group. Keep posted of the latest from Uganda and East Africa.
Plot 4B Malcolm X, Kololo
P.O Box 1497, Kampala - Uganda
Tel: +256-392-001-701
Email: info@softpower.ug

This news site is licenced by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Regional
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More

© SoftPower News

error: Content is protected
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
  • Regional
    • Kenya
    • Rwanda
    • Tanzania
    • Burundi
    • South Sudan
    • DR Congo
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Africa
    • Columnists
    • Education
    • Health
      • COVID-19
    • International News
    • News in Pictures
    • OpEd
    • Pearl Of Africa
    • People
    • Politics
    • Special Reports
    • Women

© SoftPower News