January 07, 2020

2SCALE and Farayana pilot Aflasafe in sorghum in Ghana

Staple Crops

Ghana

The presence of aflatoxins in staple crops is a real threat to food security. 95% of children in Africa have aflatoxin in their body according to the FAO. And for processors such as Guinness Ghana Limited, issues of aflatoxin in grains have become a major concern. The Company is strict on the levels of aflatoxin in sorghum before they buy from Faranaya and other suppliers. High levels of aflatoxin in sorghum have mainly been the reasons why both Guinness Ghana and Faranaya reject sorghum form farmers. As a result farmer incomes are reduced since they are not able to sell sorghum with high Aflatoxin rates.

Aflatoxins are produced by certain molds, which grow in soil. They are regularly found in staple commodities such as corn, peanuts or sorghum.

To eliminate the risk of Aflatoxin and increase farmer earnings, 2SCALE in partnership with Farayana piloted Aflasafe in sorghum in the catchment areas of the business champion.

Faranaya Agribusiness Limited is a commercial aggregator of sorghum. Guinness Ghana Limited is the main off-taker of the sorghum they aggregate from smallholder farmers. Learn more about Faranaya: https://www.2scale.org/en/partnerships/faranaya-en

One of 2SCALE Key interventions in this partnership is to conduct trainings in product development and enhancement in sorghum. Hence four hundred kilograms (400kg) of Aflasafe were secured for the pilot for 100 acres of sorghum farms. The application rate is 4kg per acre at a cost of GHS 16 ($3). These Aflasafe will be piloted in areas where the farmer learning plots have been sited to transfer best sorghum production technologies to farmers.

Sorghum grains where the Aflasafe pilot has been done will be compared to sorghum fields which did not receive the Aflasafe treatment. This comparison will determine the usefulness of Aflasafe in reducing aflatoxin in sorghum. The business champion has a mini lab that will test aflatoxin limits levels in farms.

Atambuguri Abupoak a female farmer who led one of the pilot sites said :

It is heartbreaking to see that your toil at the end of the season is rejected because of aflatoxin. I am happy to be part of this pilot which can increase my income and that of other farmers

While we wait to compare the results of farms, farmers are willing to adopt the treatment to reduce the chances of sorghum rejection which affects their income.

Stay connected to learn more about the developments after the test.

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