Kenya to heighten surveillance of aflatoxins on East Africa maize imports

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NAIROBI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to heighten surveillance of aflatoxin on maize imports from the east African region, an official said on Wednesday.

Lawrence Omuhaka, chief administrative secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, livestock and Fisheries told journalists in Nairobi that continuous testing of maize from East African Community (EAC) member states indicates high level of aflatoxins beyond permissible maximum limits.

"While we strive to give Kenyans safe foods by addressing the various challenges in the production systems, we equally expect our trading partners to trade in safe maize as per the EAC standards that the maximum limit of aflatoxins to be at 10 parts per billion," Omuhaka said during the launch of the report on the revitalization of cotton and pyrethrum value chains.

Omuhaka said that in order to enforce the surveillance on aflatoxins, all importers of maize will have to be registered in the next two months.

He noted that all imported maize consignments will be required to be accompanied by a certificate of conformity of the produce issued by a competent authority from the exporting country which will be verified by the crop inspectors at all Kenyan border points.

The ministry of agriculture also urged the member states of the economic bloc to fast-track the ratification EAC sanitary and phytosanitary protocol. Enditem

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