IITA |
Nigerian farmers have expressed fear over the
Institute of International Tropical Agriculture ( IITA) preparedness to commercialize aflasafe into mitigating
aflatoxin infestation of grain crops
saying the decision should be given a second thought especially in the face of
adulteration that ravaging of seeds production sub sector.
In an interface session held in
Abuja, the National Groundnut Processors and Marketers Association (NGROPPMAN)
stressed the need for ensuring a safe landing of aflasafe being handed over to
private firms for commercialization to farmers as they based their argument on
the experience from adulterated seeds that have been ravaging high yield
expectation of farmers.
The IITA representative in the
meeting Mr. Peter Okomoh who broke the news of aflasafe technology transfer and
commercialization said the decision to hand over to competent private firm is
very imperative for the Institute so as to be able to concentrate on its main
mandate of researching into new improved technology for agricultural
productivity and value addition for better economic earnings.
Aflatoxin is a disease that
commonly affects oily crops like maize, groundnut and cowpea as IITA in
collaboration with other partners have been able to provide aflasafe to protect
the crops while still in the soil as research finding revealed that “
Aflatoxins often occur in the crops while still in the field prior to harvest.
Postharvest contamination can occur if crop drying is delayed, and during
storage of the crop if water is allowed to exceed critical values for the mold
growth”
Mr. Okomoh pointed out that about
30-40 hectares of groundnut would need to be cultivated towards ensuring
foreign earning from Europe as issue of best agronomics practice would be
handled by ICRISAT with provision of improved seeds and training to preventing
aflatoxin attack.
However, some of the states’
chairmen of NGROPPMAN have argued that IITA should be in the custody of the
circulation of the aflasafe to the farmers so as to guarantee quality and
standard of the products towards preventing aflatoxin attack while in the
field.
Aflasafe was developed by
IITA in collaboration with Agriculture and Research Service of the United State
Department of Agriculture, University of Bonn and University of Ibadan (UI).
According to IITA, about 4200 strains of Asperities species from naturally
infected maize cobs collected from farmers’ field and stores in Nigeria. After
six years of meticulous and painstaking research using several microbiology ,
plant pathology, molecular biology and toxicology method; 12 safe and effective
atoxigenic strain were identified out of which four (4) were further tested four six (6) years in experienced
station and farmers’ fields in Nigeria.
The Aflasafe strains cannot
produce aflatoxin since they have inherent defects in one or more of the 26
genes in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway. They also cannot become toxigenic
since the selected atoxigenic strain. Hence, genetic exchange between members
of the same atoxigenic genetic group cannot transform atoxigenic strams to
toxigenic ones. Members of two different genetic groups cannot exchange DNA.
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