By Violet Nabatanzi
Farmers have been warned against using dangerous chemicals on crops to kill pests.
Father Hillary Muheezangango, the National Director of Caritas Uganda, expressed concern, saying, “When you go to farms, you find people using harmful chemicals to kill pests on their crops, and these chemicals end up in our markets.”
He also raised concerns about the improper handling of harvested food, noting that farmers often place it on roads meant for vehicles and motorcycles.
“In some places, motorcycles drive over grains of maize and beans, and fumes contaminate the food we end up eating,” he said.
Muheezangango called upon policymakers to create policies ensuring the availability of safe food.
Speaking during the opening of the food safety dialogue organized by Caritas Uganda at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala recently, the Assistant Commissioner for Food and Nutrition Security in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Alex Bambona who represented the state minister for Agriculture, warned that placing food on the road not only destroys income but also exposes people to serious toxins. Unsafe food can harm export prospects.
About aflatoxins, experts say these toxins start developing right from the farm, as any stressful conditions increase the risk of aflatoxin development due to fungal growth.
Bambona said that conditions reducing crop stress, such as irrigation and nutrient management, contribute to lowering aflatoxin levels.
He added that the ministry is scaling up irrigation services, emphasizing its importance under the current setup alongside mechanization.
Mechanization will aid in post-harvest handling and transportation, which are key in managing aflatoxins.
Experts said food safety is a shared responsibility of all actors involved with food system from farmers, input dealersa, aggregators, transporters, traders, manufacturers, the food business operator regulators and consumers.
They said all these actors in the food system put into place various procedures and good practices to ensure that the food which reaches the consumers’ table is fit for consumption.
Caritas Uganda is the social services development arm of the catholic churches in Uganda.
Caritas has trained about 300 farmers in food value chain production and marketing.
Muheezangango urged those engaged in farming to undergo rigorous training to learn proper farming techniques.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Alex Bambona, the Assistant Commissioner for Food and Nutrition Security in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries speaking during the opening of the food safety dialogue organized by Caritas Uganda at Imperial Royale Hotel, as Father Hillary Muheezangango, the National Director of Caritas Uganda looks on. Photo by Violet Nabatanzi
