Farmers express anxiety as IITA hands over aflasafe for commercialization

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.