Gituamba Ward agricultural officer Francis Kiringu has warned farmers in the area against storing wet maize in a bid to avoid aflatoxin.
Addressing the farmers on Friday in Gatunguru, Wandaro farm, Kiringu said that readily harvested green maize could not be stored as this would lead to the rotting of the produce which would be unfit for human consumption.
“I would like to advise farmers to stop harvesting their products until the rains stop. Such products develop bacteria which are harmful to the human body when they are stored before sale. Let us be patient and wait until the ongoing rains stop,” said Kirigu.
The agricultural officer noted that aflatoxins are attributed mostly to poor drying techniques adopted by farmers, with the poisonous fungi mostly affecting maize, cassava and groundnuts.
“I also advise farmers to desist from selling their maize at throw away prices. Farmers should instead dry the cereals properly before storage, so as to avoid hunger during the dry season. Stored maize will also attract better prices during the dry season which is fast approaching,” he said.
Kiringu pointed out that if farmers sell all their harvest, they will end up buying the same maize at high prices due to lack of planning.
He also advised farmers to guard their crops from wild animals by putting scare crows in their farms.