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NCPB sets up five more aflatoxin labs
National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Managing Director Joseph Kimote (left)and NCPB chairman Mutea Iringo hand over a bag of rice to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya at a past event. Mr Kimote says the new labs will reduce aflatoxin costs for millers and others in the maize value chain.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
What you need to know:
- The board has trained a number of staff on how to test for aflatoxin levels in maize, wheat and other foods.
- A processor must have a machine for testing aflatoxin as a condition for guaranteeing quality of flour.
Aflatoxin is produced by a fungus that grows on maize, wheat, groundnuts and other crops.
The country has set up five additional laboratories in an effort to ensure households are not exposed to toxic cereals.
The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has built the laboratories in its Meru, Kitale, Eldoret, Nakuru and Machakos depots to enable farmers and millers test aflatoxin levels at an affordable cost.
