Aflatoxin: A threat to competitiveness of EAC Agricultural produce and products in domestic and international markets.

Abstract

The EAC Partner States are losing trade and general market accessibility due to sale of aflatoxin contaminated foods. Aflatoxins are barriers to trade, notwithstanding the health implications to the consumer upon sustained consumption of aflatoxin contaminated foods above the tolerable levels. Similarly, livestock such as poultry, pigs, and cattle are also impacted negatively by aflatoxins. In order to address the impacts of aflatoxin contaminated produce to trade, this policy brief recommends that EAC Partner States provide: adequate human and financial resources to enforce aflatoxin standards in conjunction with Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures; put in place an enabling environment to attract informal cross border traders to confidently engage into formal trade systems; a harmonized testing protocol for use by relevant stakeholders along the food value chains; and a credible “aflatoxin safe” certification that will expedite movement of intra-regionally traded aflatoxin prone commodities and products to reduce time spent in border clearance procedures.