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Aflasafe®: Aflatoxin management

Aflatoxin-safe fields and crops for safer food in Africa

Aflasafe® is a biocontrol technology for aflatoxins management that uses harmless types of the fungus Aspergilus flavus which do not and cannot produce the toxins. The atoxigenic fungi are coated onto ordinary sorghum grain for transferring these innovative biocontrol agents to farmers’ fields. A blue food coloring dye is added to distinguish Aflasafe ® from other sorghum for food or feed use.

2

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•9

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 9/9

Cost: $$$ 12 - 20 USD

per Ha

ROI: $$$ 16 %

Increase in income

10 kg/ha

Recommended dosage application

4 kg/acre

Recommended dosage application

IP

Trademark

Problem

  • Aflatoxin Contamination: Widespread and severe contamination of staple crops, animal feeds, and processed foods across Africa with aflatoxin, a highly toxic and cancer-causing poison.
  • Health Impacts: Consumption of contaminated food by humans and livestock leads to serious health issues, including liver cancer, weakened immunity, growth stunting, and organ damage.
  • Economic Impact: Aflatoxin contamination makes food unfit for consumption and trade, resulting in significant economic losses.
  • Food Safety: Ensuring safe and toxin-free food for both human and animal consumption is a challenge.

Solution

  • Aflasafe® Biocontrol: Aflasafe® is a natural biocontrol technology that uses harmless strains of Aspergillus flavus to outcompete poisonous strains, preventing aflatoxin production.
  • Safe and Cost-effective: Aflasafe® offers a safe and cost-effective solution for reducing aflatoxin levels in food.
  • Local Adaptation: The technology is well adapted to African conditions, including heat and drought, and uses native atoxigenic fungal strains.
  • Collaborative Screening: Aflasafe® products are developed through extensive field testing and screening, selecting strains that effectively reduce aflatoxin.
  • Preventing Contamination: Aflasafe® stops aflatoxin contamination at various stages, including transportation, storage, and processing, ensuring safer food supply chains.

Key points to design your business plan

For Manufacturers:

Aflasafe, a biocontrol product for aflatoxin, is manufactured at scale to ensure profitability and affordability for smallholder farmers. This product enhances crop quality, enables farmers to access premium markets, and increases food safety.

We have granted exclusive manufacturing and distribution licenses in Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, and distribution licenses in Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, and The Gambia. There are numerous business opportunities across Africa.

To obtain a license, the following conditions must be met:

Product Development: Complete product development, testing, and registration in the target country or obtain government approval for a product registered in a neighboring country.

Commercialization Strategy: Develop a strategy specific to the country context, including a situation analysis to identify potential sectors for biocontrol adoption, market demand, market size projections, manufacturing plant capacity, cost of construction, sales growth projection, and the viability of constructing a factory versus importing the product.

Investor Forum: Present the strategy at an investor forum, evaluate expressions of interest, shortlist potential investors, and evaluate submitted business plans. The selected investor is granted Aflasafe manufacturing and/or distribution rights through a Technology Transfer and Licensing Agreement (TTLA) with IITA.

Business Plan Implementation: Implement the business plan with technical support from IITA during the start-up and initial stages of scale-up execution.

Process Refinement: Refine and adapt the process in countries where commercial efforts are underway or about to start, using a learning and adapting approach.

Our potential customers include wholesale distributors of bioprotectants, farmer groups working with aflatoxin-conscious companies, development projects, government agencies, and NGOs.

The cost structure involves a $1.2 million investment for the purchase and installation of equipment and construction of a 10-ton per day Aflasafe® production plant. Raw material costs and labor expenses are location-dependent and need to be included in your business plan.

For Resellers:

To successfully commercialize and distribute Aflasafe, a deep understanding of the agricultural situation in the target country is required. This includes having well-established contacts, a country-wide distribution network, extensive reach in the farming community, excellent relationships with different government sectors, and a commitment to promoting a technology that addresses a significant problem impacting health, trade, and income.

Sourcing Aflasafe in bulk, identifying efficient transportation methods, and exploring suitable storage facilities are key to navigating this market. Furthermore, establishing strong partnerships with Aflasafe equipment manufacturers and transportation providers is crucial.

We have granted distribution licenses to partners in Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, and The Gambia, and there are numerous distribution opportunities across Africa.

Selling Aflasafe not only provides a valuable product but also fosters closer engagement with users. Your potential customer base includes small local retailers, development projects, producers, and producer cooperatives or associations.

For Users:

The utilization of Aflasafe increases the chances of producing higher quality crops meeting standards, with little to no aflatoxin, all at an affordable cost. 

As key partners you need sellers of Aflasafe.

The cost structure, one Kg price of Aflasafe, is set at $1.2-2 USD. The recommended dose is 10 kg per hectare. You need to estimate the profit realized with the use of the product.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive medium

Under 18: Positive high

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Countries with a green colour
Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour
Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour
Tested
Egypt Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burundi Burkina Faso Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Côte d’Ivoire Eritrea Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Cameroon Kenya Libya Liberia Madagascar Mali Malawi Morocco Mauritania Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Zambia Senegal Sierra Leone Zimbabwe Somalia South Sudan Sudan South Africa Eswatini Tanzania Togo Tunisia Chad Uganda Western Sahara Central African Republic Lesotho
Countries where the technology has been tested and adopted
Country Tested Adopted
Burkina Faso Tested Adopted
Burundi Tested Not adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo Tested Not adopted
Gambia Tested Adopted
Ghana Tested Adopted
Kenya Tested Adopted
Malawi Tested Adopted
Mali Tested Adopted
Mozambique Tested Adopted
Niger Tested Not adopted
Nigeria Tested Adopted
Rwanda Tested Not adopted
Senegal Tested Adopted
Sudan Tested Not adopted
Tanzania Tested Adopted
Togo Tested Not adopted
Uganda Tested Not adopted
Zambia Tested Not adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ Subtropic - warm Subtropic - cool Tropic - warm Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Sustainable Development Goal 2: zero hunger
Goal 2: zero hunger
Sustainable Development Goal 3: good health and well-being
Goal 3: good health and well-being
Sustainable Development Goal 15: life on land
Goal 15: life on land
Sustainable Development Goal 17: partnerships for the goals
Goal 17: partnerships for the goals

  1. Aflasafe® should be applied 2-3 weeks before the flowering stage of crops.
  2. It can be spread by hand, using tractor-mounted spinners.
  3. Timely application is crucial to prevent poisonous fungi from establishing.
  4. Farmers must monitor crop growth to determine the flowering stage accurately.
  5.  Aflasafe® application should align with rainfall and moist soil for effective establishment of the atoxigenic fungi.
  6. Aflasafe® is more effective when combined with good agricultural, harvest, and postharvest practices. 

Last updated on 2 October 2024