Aflatoxin contamination remains a significant challenge for food safety, human health, and livestock, with potentially fatal consequences. To address this issue, ICRISAT, with support from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, held a two-week training program to equip professionals from the Global South with the skills to tackle it.
Aflatoxins are widespread, affecting various food crops, including cereals, nuts, dairy products, and other agricultural commodities. Chronic exposure can lead to liver cancer, immune suppression, and stunted growth in children, while acute poisoning can be deadly. According to studies, about 2 billion people are exposed to mycotoxins.
At the closing ceremony on 7 March, ICRISAT’s director general, Himanshu Pathak thanked the government of India for funding the training and the participating countries for sending their experts. He observed that food safety is an integral part of food security. Aflatoxin contamination of agricultural crops such as groundnut, maize and tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, etc.) is a potential public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa, south and south-east Asia.
The training had 34 participants from 16 countries—Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Cambodia, Ghana, Tanzania, South Sudan, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Gambia, Rwanda, Liberia, the Philippines, Iran, and Tajikistan. Representing ministries, research institutes, and universities, participants engaged in lectures and hands-on training at ICRISAT’s world-class laboratories.
ICRISAT’s deputy director general-research and innovation, Stanford Blade, interacted personally with all participants.
At the inaugural session on 24 February, special guest RV Karnan, IAS, commissioner of food safety for Telangana, emphasized the importance of One Health, an integrated approach recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.
ML Jat, ICRISAT’s global research program director for resilient farm and food systems, highlighted aflatoxin’s economic impact, citing Malawi’s halted groundnut exports. ICRISAT’s collaboration with governments and the National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM), in addition to the deployment of low-cost detection kits, helped reverse the situation, improving food safety and public health.
The training covered aflatoxin detection, integrated management, host plant resistance, genomics, storage, and sampling. Participants gained hands-on and theoretical expertise for a comprehensive learning experience.
Speaking at the valedictory session, Sean Mayes, ICRISAT‘s research program director, highlighted the extent of the mycotoxin problem in agriculture, its interconnectedness with the broader agricultural ecosystem, and how science can help tackle it.
Hari Kishan Sudini, ICRISAT’s principal scientist – Groundnut Pathology, cited the case of wild elephants that died in 2024 after grazing in a mycotoxin-infested millet field, underscoring the severe risks from aflatoxin contamination.
ICRISAT’s Dryland Academy and the crop protection and seed health cluster, with support from the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC), the leading capacity-building platform of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, conducted an international training on Detection and Integrated Management of Aflatoxin Contamination in Crops for Safe Food and Fair Trade from 24 February to 07 March.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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