Commissioned by USAID’s Southern Africa Trade Hub (SATH), a new report from Twin provides a thorough examination of the contaminant aflatoxin in the groundnut value chain and suggests ways to mitigate the risks it poses.
The contaminant aflatoxin is partly responsible for the collapse of the Africa’s groundnut export industry in the 1970s and 1980s. Twin has been working with partner organisations on the ground in southern Africa to reinvigorate this industry and in particular to address aflatoxin contamination, which poses a significant public health risk, as well as acting as a barrier to trade.
Aflatoxins are carcinogenic by-products of a fungus (Aspergillus sp.) that grows on crops such as maize, paprika and groundnuts as a result of poor pre- and post-harvest practices. The CDC and the World Health Organisation estimate that around 80% of liver cancers are related to aflatoxin consumption and there are causal links with hepatitus and other non-communicable liver diseases.
Read the report: Value Chain Approach – Aflatoxin (Groundnuts), 2012
Find out more about Twin’s work in groundnuts in Southern Africa