New technology to mitigate Aflatoxins in Grains Launched on the Ugandan market

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

I-Grain a Danish based company in partnership with the East African Grain Council have introduced new technology on the Ugandan market which help grain producers  and exporters  to   mitigate Aflatoxines contamination in Grains.

The new technology Toxi Scrub Detoxification comes at time when almost 56% of the Ugandan grains produced are being infested with Aflatoxin which makes it very difficult for the grains to access International markets.

Under the technology, grains that are infested with aflatoxin undergo processing process where the grains can be treated with Ozone, Once the grains are treated   with Ozone are chemically reconfigured and the aflatoxins are   washed away   this makes the grain safe for Human consumption.

 Commenting on the technology during the Launch recentely at Hotel Africana in Kampala,Gerald Masila the Executive Director of East African Grain Council challenged the Grain Council Members in Uganda to Invest in the technology to ensure that  the grains from Uganda is free from the toxic substance this will open the market gates for the grains  from Uganda both to regional and International markets.

Professor Kaya from Makerere University making presentation about the Aflatoxin situation in Uganda 

“Our members in Uganda should embrace the technology that is the only way to go if they are to compete on the international and regional markets. The East African Grain Council is committed to work with the Government of Uganda to ensure that the technology is embrace by the dealers since Uganda is one of the leading producers of grains in the region”   He said.

 He said for the grain dealers to effectively maximize the economic potentials of the technology. They should pull resources together and set up grain treatment plant that will treat grains that are affected with Aflatoxin  so that the region is fed  with grains that  are safe for human consumption .

 Why the Introduction of the Technology is big game changer in the grain Industry?  The technology will manage the challenges of grain storages and ware housing to ensure that the quality and safety of grains in the storage are well managed. This is motivated by the fact that Uganda is having big challenges of the grain quality produced in the country, information available reveals that the grains are of substandard and health risks to the consumers because of being infested with toxins that are capable of causing diseases such as cancer of the liver.

“Uganda has great prevalence risks of grains that are infested with aflatoxins to the level that are beyond the levels that are allowed by the standard and regulation. According to the research conducted  by Makerere University  indicates that over 56-60% of the grains  produced in Uganda are contaminated with  toxins this makes it not safe for human consumption but people are ending up consuming such grains which is risky decision” Masira  added.

Apart from being Health risky, Aflatoxin Infestation in the grains also is big concern when it comes to trade perception recently when the two Government of Uganda and that of Kenya signed trade deal for Uganda to export 600.00 metric tons of grains to Kenya unfortunately the trade did not happen because when all grains were a aggregated and sampled all the grains failed the test because it was discovered that the grains were highly infested with Aflatoxin and it was rejected in Kenya

Making key presentation on Aflatoxin Professor Kaya   Archileo of Makerere University said East African states should invest more resources towards managing Aflatoxin Infestation in the regional  Grains.

“Most of our Countries in the region depend on grains as their traditional food .That is why it’s Imperative to ensure that the regions is fed with high food that is not risky to their lives “ He said.

Peere Hansen the Director marketing and Sales at i-Grain said the technology which they are introducing in Uganda has been tested in over 15 countries both in Europe and on the African continent   and it has passed the entire test.

“iGrain technology has been adopted by many grain dealers across the world the latest  clients being those in Southern Sudan where we shall be launching  facilities very soon . For the Ugandan grain to access the International markets, the products must be free from any forms of toxics Aflatoxins is one of them and for such  to occur the dealers need to invest in technologies that can mitigate such challenges “ He said.

Speaking on behalf of Government during the Launch of the technology   Godfrey Tukamobona  a senior officer at the Ministry of Trade and Industries  said Government  is committed  to work with private sector especially those  companies that are developing solutions to mitigate technical barriers that hinder trade  between Uganda and the rest of the World.