Manila Bulletin via SEAMEO SEARCA

The government is collaborating with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) on an aflatoxin control project that will upgrade to international standards the quality of local corn, peanut, and copra through ICRISAT-invented technologies.

Aflatoxin, a substance that can be a precursor to cancer, cirrhosis, and other diseases, develops from molds that grow from inadequate crops drying. This has brought menace to farmers' productivity, cutting their income and prompting feed producers to massively import expensive corn and its substitutes.

Dr. Farid Waliyar, ICRISAT plant pathologist and Agri-Science Park chief, said the partnership may involve three aspects-post-harvest technologies (dryers, processors), communication and personnel training work with farm and health authorities, and the country's adoption of an aflatoxin detection kit. 

ICRISAT itself has developed an aflatoxin detection device that aids in its control that more farmers can afford compared to the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) available in the market. 

"Dr. Waliyar has developed a very cost-effective device which costs only $ 1 per sample compared to per sample (cost for HPLC). The DA (Department of Agriculture) and the universities should join hands to put up in strategic locations laboratories (for aflatoxin control)," said Dr. William D. Dar, ICRISAT director general. 

The ELISA technique developed by ICRISAT is precise and is used also for other virus detection including for the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV).

The research agency already had discussions with the DA, University of the Philippines-Los Baños, and Isabela State University on this. 

Aflatoxin level of corn produced in the country may go to as high as 200 parts per billion (PPB) which is far above the foodsafe standard at 50 PPB since most farmers do not have the equipment and know-how to enable drying down to a 14 percent and below moisture content.

In Sub-Saharan African, aflatoxin contamination in a top crop, peanut, caused a 19 percent export reduction for two decades.