Uganda has assured consumers of maize produced in the East African country that the cereal and other related by-products are safe and free of aflatoxins.
According to the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), the government through various ministries has developed policies and standards aimed at improving the quality of grain to meet both local and international requirements.
NARO is a government agency which was set up for guidance and coordination of all agricultural research activities in Uganda.
The agency says the ministries of trade and agriculture have policies and standards “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 associated health risks to consumers”.
“The grain traders under the East African Grain Council and the Grain Council of Uganda are vigorously promoting and implementing capacity building in grain handling standards for increased safety, quality and cross-border grain trade,” NARO said in a Feb. 21, 2023 statement.
Uganda’s private sector has been handy in complementing government efforts when it comes to capacity building in terms of post-harvest handling and grain storage, with one aim of minimizing contamination of grain by aflatoxin and any other mycotoxins.
“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 aflatoxins contamination,” NARO explained.
Government sources indicate that Uganda produces about five million tonnes of maize annually. The country exports its maize to regional markets – mostly in South Sudan, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It also exports to Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.
